Hinata's Darkened Desires
by Paladeus
Summary: Hinata goes through a ... mind alteration, performed by Ino. When she's around Naruto, she slowly loses her inhibitions. While on a mission to subdue a rising evil, she decides how she will get him. NaruXHina, SakuXLee. Lemon
1. Desires Unbound

Author's Note - Understand this before you read the story please. I trully enjoy Naruto, but I am not what one would call a "hardcore fan". By this, I mean I don't memorize jutsu names, every character and such. Also, this is a fanfic, which to me, signifies that, so long as I keep the characters and such in their own world, I can tweak this. Please be gentle in your critiques.. This is my first time. o.o

Possibly most importantly to several of you, I got this idea from another fanfic that was left with only 1 chapter over a year ago. I wasn't happy with that, so I am making my own, based off of that. I do not own or know the person who created the original (Entitled "Hinata's Desire" I believe.) I am creating the entire story from scratch however. I just wanted to get that out of the way so it was there and hopefully, I don't get flamed to horribly.

**Darkened Desire:**

Naruto had just finished in training ground seven and was on his way to Ichiraiku Ramen for his customary twenty bowls of ramen when he bumped into Hinata. She started falling back letting out a short "oomph" on her way down. About halfway down Naruto grabbed her by her forearm and pulled, causing her to hit against his chest so he could stabalize her again.

"N-N-Naruto!" Hinata had seen Naruto only as he hit her. She hadn't even realized her falling or her being pulled into Naruto. She only noticed that their bodies were pressed against each other and that it was very close to the boy she has felt strongly for since she first saw him.

"Oi, Hinata. Are you alright?" Naruto stepped back and quickly looked her over. He noticed her face, from the roots of her hair down to her neck before it disappeared into her jacket, was deep red and that she was very still. He was hoping it was just from being down and up so quickly.

"Hinata? Hello?" Naruto was about to poke her nose to see if he would get a reaction when she hit the ground with a thud.

Quickly, Naruto looked around bent down to try and wake her up. He realized this happened a lot with her. He would get close and she would get a darker shade of red as the distance closed until the eventual thump. He would have to ask Neji if he knew if there was some kind of a medical condition with her. But until then, he would have to get her from out in the middle of the commonway.

Naruto picked Hinata up and took her to Ichiraiku Ramen and set her on the stool next to where he planned to sit and set her down so it looked as though she fell asleep. That would keep people from prying into a situation he couldn't really explain. Everyone seemed to hate him enough as it was.

"Hello Naruto! Oh my what happened here?" The young girl behind the counter came and took a look at Hinata. She slid her fingers through Hinata's hair to put it behind her ear and took a look at her face, making sure she was alright simply out of curiousity.

"She wasn't here a moment ago. Did she come with you Naruto?" The young lady looked at Naruto while straightening.

Naruto put his hand behind his head and scratched his ear.

"Eh, I bumped into her over there and caught her before she fell, but the next thing I know, she fainted again." Naruto _really_ didn't want to be banned from Ichairuka Ramen by them thinking he was some sadist or something.

"Again? She does this often?" The girl looked a little surprised but then remembered she often saw the girl do the very same thing before.

"Emph."

Both Naruto and the young lady looked at the small girl emitting the sound as she yawned and stretched slightly as if just waking up from sleeping.

"Hinata, are you okay now?"

Hinata was a little curious why she smelled ramen and opened her eyes as she realized she was hearing voices.

"-re you okay now?"

Hinata jumped a bit at Naruto's voice and let out a small "meep" as she hopped off the stool.

"N-Naruto! I'm sorry!" Hinata's red face was getting darker and darker as the seconds passed.

"It's okay Hinata, I bumped into you, remember? I'll buy you a bowl of ramen, 'kay?" At that, Naruto began his order.

"Oi, um, I want ten miso ramen, ten pork ramen, and whatever Hinata would like." Naruto turned to Hinata to get her input when she sat, albeit slowly, in the spot next to Naruto.

"O-One pork ramen please." _I did it again! I didn't mean to faint, it just happened, as usual._

"Alright, your orders will be done momentarily. Well.." She paused slightly and looked pointedly at Naruto, but with a wide smile. "Well, the beginning of it anyway." And with that, she went to tell her father what was to be made.

"Oh, Hinata, I am not going to keep you from anything am I? I didn't even ask, I'm sorry." Naruto just sat there waiting for Hinata's answer.

"No Na-Naruto. I w-was actually c-coming here to eat anyway." A small lie wouldn't hurt, and it gave her a few minutes with him.

Naruto smiled his big cheesy grin and Hinata just got a bit more red in the cheeks. She just pushed the points of her fingers together until their orders were brought. Naruto finished a bowl as Hinata finished every other bite. They finished in relative silence, Naruto totally oblivious to the looks Hinata would give him out of the corner of her eyes and her making sure he didn't.

A quick bonk on the head made Naruto bite the noodles from his current slurp off and a noodle to shoot out his nose.

"NARUTO! You should _really_ try and eat something other than ramen once in a while!"

"But Sakura! There is nothing else that could match ramen!" Hinata let a small smile show on her face as she listened to Naruto and his teammate fight about this for not the first time.

"Bah! Hello Hinata! I've been looking everywhere for you! This is not the last place I would expect to find you, but certainly not that far from it." Sakura shot a death glare at Naruto and sat next to Naruto, opposite Hinata.

"M-Me Sakura? What did you n-need me f-for?" She was almost done with her noodles, but wasn't really hungry anymore, so she decided that she was done with it and pushed it aside.

"Well, myself, Ino and TenTen are thinking of getting together and having a girl's night type of thing. We decided that we wanted all the girls together and you were the only one that wasn't around when we thought it up. So I said I would look for you and see what you wanted to do. It would be tonight, unless that wouldn't work for you, then we can do it tomorrow night. TenTen has a mission she will leave for in three days, so we wanted to do it soon while we all had time."

"Oi! That sounds like fun!" Sakura again hit Naruto on the back of his head, fully satisfied when he fell out of the stool.

"Naruto! 'Girls night out' means that there are NO boys! We couldn't care less if you think it is fun, because if you were there, you would find yourself the target of a few hours of shuriken and kunai practice!" Sakura looked back at Hinata to see what she would say.

"I w-would enjoy it very much Sakura. I d-do have tonight available, so where would we meet and when?"

Hinata and Sakura got down to specifics while a lumpy Naruto got back on his stool and finished his last bowl of ramen. "You don't have to be so mean Sakura, I just thought it sounded like a fun idea." He had just barely whispered it, but he knew it was still too loud when Sakura's attention turned on him. He quickly leaned back and put his hands up in a defensive gesture.

"A-Ah! Sakura, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just saying you had such a brilliant idea! That's all!" He calmed visibly when her death-glare turned from him and she and Hinata got up to leave. Hinata was pulling out the money to pay for her ramen when Naruto's hand was on her's. A very embarassed Hinata froze and began to redden again.

"I told you I would take care of it. I am sorry I bumped you down. I didn't mean to." With that, he placed the bills down to cover the meal, and walked to his home.

"Huh? Naruto paid for your meal?" Sakura looked at Hinata who hadn't answered. She was watching Naruto disappear into the abyss of the people walking around during the day.

---------------------------------

"Okay everyone! Time for the fun to begin!" Ino was laying on her bed as everyone else lay on their sleeping bags or sat around her room. Snacks and drinks were around as they all looked at Ino to find out what she meant. They were already having fun.

"Hey Ino, what do you mean? We've been having fun for a while now." Sakura was seated against the wall, sitting comfortably on her sleeping bag. She couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what Ino was getting at, but with the way she looked, it was going to probably end badly somehow.

"Well, you know how my clan can take over people's minds and how, sometimes, we can just simply be whispers, suggesting?" At their nods, she continued. "Well, I've been working on a technique that... how do I put it?" She wanted to pause for dramatic effect, but looked at Sakura and decided she didn't look happy.

"Er, what I mean is, I have been working on a technique where I can put a suggestion in your mind, to alter you as my suggestion would say." Ino looked at the girls in turn, noting that, they just somewhat stared at her.

"What? A girl's gotta have SOME kind of a defense against those villianous men out there, right?" She smiled knowing that they would find it as funny as she did.

"Ino, what do you mean by how you suggest? You mean, you can take over someone's mind and tell them to say, do something, and they do it as you say without you having to keep controlling them?" TenTen was a bit unsure of this. It seemed... like slavery in a way.

"Yea Ino, what do you mean?" Sakura was wanting a more detailed explanation. "It seems like you are suggesting that you do the same thing, but in a different way."

_"These girls have KILLED their inner children! That was hilarious!"_

"Well, let me use an example. Say you had all of the rookie nine together. Each one is as they are because of everything that has happened in their lives. Normally, what we do, is go in to a person's mind, and control it as if it were just us, then leave and lose that control. What I got curious about is this: What if I wanted someone to do something, but couldn't be in their minds when they do it? What if I wanted, say, to use an enemy ninja and have them go and assassinate their own leader, or as high up as they could get? Then I would have to physically be close enough to keep the jutsu up as well as be in the mind to do it. That isn't smart or safe. So, I got curious and wondered about complete or just partial mind _alteration_ rather than control. Using the same example as before, I could take that enemy ninja, and have them, instead of going against what they want, actually make them WANT to kill that person, or be somehow different. See?" Ino looked around noticing they seemed to get it.

"W-Well, I h-have a q-question. Not that I d-don't think that yo-you're idea is good Ino, b-but... how does this m-mean we're at the fun part?" Hinata cocked her head a bit to the side as she wrapped her arms around her knees that were pulled up under her chin.

Ino just looked at her as Sakura and TenTen voiced their agreements, both having forgotten about that part.

"Okay, let me use a different example. Hinata, you happen to rather like a yellow-haired, loud-mouthed genin, yes?" At this, Hinata's eyes widened to saucers and she was instantly red.

"W-w-wha-what d-do you m-mean, I d-don't..." She stuttered as best should could as she tried to think of something to say.

All the girls laughed and Hinata only got even more red.

_Am I really that obvious? How could I have been that obvious?_

"Don't worry Hinata, we like the idea of you and Naruto getting together. But that is actually the point to my bringing this up." Ino looked directly at each one of them as she spoke to emphasize her point as she spoke a little more quietly.

"To continue my example, if I were to use this jutsu on you, I could make all of your insecurities go away about being around Naruto! You could say what you wanted and not feel the slightest embarassed about it!" Ino was getting more and more excited as she spoke.

"Wait a minute, so you want to use this technique on _Hinata_?" TenTen and Sakura both looked at Ino like she had lost her mind. The backs on both of the girls had gone rigid. Sakura couldn't look at Ino right now without picturing her in a white lab coat and some hunch-backed servant saying 'Yes Master!'

"No! Of course I wouldn't test it out on Hinata!" All of the girls in the room slouched a little and sighed their relief.

"I tried it on Shikamaru first." Ino sat back and watched their expressions go from relieved to incredibly shocked and horrified in an instant. Their mouths were hanging open at the realization that Ino had to be crazy.

"Now, come on! It isn't like that! He knew I was doing it the whole time! Obviously, he was a little worried about me trying a jutsu on him that I created that basically re-wires a person's brain for that specific purpose to be changed, but hey, he couldn't resist my charm!" Ino flicked her hair and rotated in her bed as if modelling in front of a camera.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched and there were no responses from TenTen or Hinata except where their mouths were opening and closing as if they thought they were talking.

"So," Sakura said, "basically, you pestered him until he couldn't stand you anymore, right?"

Ino got a vein in her forhead that looked like it was about to pop.

"Look forehead girl! I may have pestered him, but that is only because I didn't think he was worth trying to charm! Anyway," She looked back at Hinata, "if it worked with him, then it can work with you too."

"W-what exactly d-did you d-do to Shikamaru?" Hinata was barely able to speak knowing she would have to go and prod Shikamaru later to make sure he wasn't drooling out the side of his mouth or anything.

"Well, nothing much really..." Ino sat back down and braced her back against the wall. She knew she had won out over her now. "What I mainly did, was ask him what he thought would be the hardest to change with him. I asked if he would be willing to not listen to me for the whole day. After he agreed too quickly, and I pommeled him, we decided that would be it. He would do exactly the opposite of what I would tell him during the day unless it was life-threatening or necassary for any reason, aside from this test. I specified date, time frame, and that he was to do exactly what I told him to do, while he TRIED to do the opposite. As the day wore on, he did more and more at my command. The only problem is, it seems to be more like an advanced hypnosis rather than true mind alteration." Ino could see their confused looks.

"Ino, what do you mean, advanced hypnosis?" TenTen was well aware of self-hypnosis and what it could do for you. It was basically meditation. But with it, you could calm your nerves, try to change personal habits and things like that. But, as far as she knew, it can't be controlling in any way.

"Well, hypnosis, of any kind, cannot be any medium of control. It basically, allows you to open yourself to certain ideas and such. Basically, if I put, say, Sakura under normal hypnosis and told her she would forever see Sasuke as a woman, she wouldn't do so. You can only be hypnotized into doing something you would normally do, or suggest to you to do something, maybe making you more open to the idea. There is nothing that can forced onto you. But my technique however, now THAT is more advanced. It can still be fought, I haven't perfected it by any means, but for something like what I mentioned to Hinata, all that would be required is her wanting whatever I were to tell her. Because she would want it, there would be no resistance. Like, Shikamaru would, even though I said he would do more and more throughout the day, still wouldn't do things he would normally fight against. That is why I asked him. He would rather not do what I want anyway." Ino laughed a little bit, but spaced out just a little to make the girls wonder what exactly she WAS able to make him do.

"S-so, you can m-make me feel more s-s-secure around Naruto?" Hinata was beginning to get excited. This could be the answer to all the problems she had been having around Naruto since the beginning.

"Actually, yes. If you actually desire it. Whatever I tell you, your mind will take and use it as it needs to and allow you to have no inhibitions around Naruto. Just.. try to keep them a LITTLE when in public." Ino flashed a huge grin and flashed the victory symbol as Hinata got more red than she had ever been.

"OH MY GOD! HINATA? BREATHE! You look like you are going to explode!" Sakura quickly went over to the Hyuuga girl and caught her as she passed out. Sakura couldn't help but glare at Ino.

"Ino-pig, you are sure this wouldn't hurt her? I mean, if she gets her hopes up on this..." Ino initially had that vein in her forehead again, but decided to defend her jutsu more.

"I am very sure of it Forehead Girl. It won't harm her, but even if it DOESN'T work, if the confidence is still there, then it still serves its purpose, right?" Ino looked at Sakura, actually looked at her, for confirmation. She wanted to know, even though she suggested it, that it was a good idea.

Sakura looked at Hinata and a smile ghosted over her lips. "If it helps her get her dream, I hope so."

"What do you think TenTen? You've been unusually quiet about all this." Sakura and Ino looked at her as she was looking at her toes. Waving each one in the air as she thought.

"I think that messing with someone's head is not a good idea... but... if it allows her to finally achieve what she wants... I just... don't want her to get hurt. You know?" She looked up at them both, each in turn and then looked at her toes again. They suddenly seemed so significant. "I think that, if she wants to try, then very well. But I would weigh the risks carefully. You said there was no harm if it failed, but are you sure?" She looked at Ino, unspoken threat in her eyes quite evident.

"I am very sure of it. What I do doesn't actually hardwire the brain any differently. It just, how do I put this? It, in a way, is like it creates a false memory, one that overrides everything for the specific task at hand. In this case, her being shy and embarassed, would be cancelled by the memory that inspires a feeling so calming and offers her so much confidence, she isn't even aware of the fear, embarassment or shyness. But it isn't actually a memory, don't get me wrong, it is just like one in her mind, and as memories can fade, so can that. Which is why it can be fought and lost I think. By doing this, whatever she _wants_ to do, she could." Ino spoke slowly enough and with enough passion she was able to sway TenTen. It was all true, but not exactly as she described it, but without them knowing her abilites, inside and out, they would never be able to actually get it otherwise. That was as close as she could get them to it.

"Okay. But the decision is hers of course." TenTen looked at Hinata and realized she was watching the whole thing.

"Let's do it." Sakura and Ino looked at Hinata then to each other.

-----------------

"Okay Hinata, this takes several minutes. I would like you to hold still." Ino flew through her hand seals and then slumped to the ground. Hinata followed less than a second afterwards.

"Ino-Pig! You could have told us what to expect before starting!" Sakura's hand fisted as she shook it at the slumped form of Ino, her vein also throbbing in her forehead and temple.

"Sakura, do we just hold them still? Ino didn't even tell us what to expect. How are we supposed to know-" TenTen and Sakura looked at Hinata as she lifted herself up.

"You don't have to yell, I was calming Hinata before I started working. Now, we will both by slumped over, don't drop us please, and after a few minutes we will both rise, with a newly confident Hinata!" Ino/Hinata smiled and then slumped over.

"What a pain in the ass." TenTen nodded her agreement.

"That would have been nice to know BEFORE she went in." TenTen just sat back and waited with Sakura.

"WHAT THE!" Both girls looked down at Ino and Hinata.

---------------

_"Where are we?" Hinata was holding Ino's hand as she was being guided in what seemed like a black void, full of colorful spheres of light. Each of which offered her voices and images of times past. _

_"This is your Nexus. This is the place in the mind where all things join together and literally anything is possible. All of these spheres of light are memories, thoughts, dreams... All of the things that make you .. you. Go ahead, touch one." Ino prodded Hinata to touch one, so she did._

_Hinata looked around and one that was close was one of her earliest memories of Naruto that she could tell from the image playing over the sphere. She reached out, the distance closing almost immediately, and then she and Ino where like ghosts, standing next to her as she watched Naruto._

_Hinata was hiding in the trees, off a distance from him. He was sitting under a tree, breathing heavily and incredibly tired. He was covered in cuts, scrapes and very bad wounds. All of his clothes were torn up and he was crying._

_"Hinata, what is this memory?" Ino had never seen anything like it before. She had met Naruto only once before the Academy, and this appeared to be a bit before that._

_Hinata sniffled as she remembered. "This was the first time I saw Naruto. I was brought to the Academy to enlist, and several people came out of the woods..." As she spoke, the memory started to play as she narrated, giving an ethereal and ghostly feeling. Hinata sounded hollow as she spoke, only adding to the atmosphere that Ino already didn't like._

_"When they came out, I used my Byuukagan. I saw him in there, he wasn't moving. He was covered in blood and barely breathing. Whoever had brought me to enlist in the Academy at the time was filling out the paperwork, but I saw noone else there, so I deactivated it and went to see if he needed help. When I got there, he didn't have any more physical wounds, but I could tell that those guys had beat Naruto. I didn't know why, so I stayed back. I was afraid. Then..." She stopped talking as the Naruto memory did._

_"I WILL become Hokage! I don't care how many times you come, and I care what you do, I am Uzumaki Naruto and I will never give up!" Then the Naruto memory got up and started training, still barely able to stand._

_"I would always find him, in the woods, alone, training. He always tried so hard. I always heard people telling him it was pointless, he was worthless, and he always would continue..." By this time, Hinata was crying all over again. She hated seeing Naruto in pain, and this was just like seeing it all over again._

_"Okay, let's see about making you Super Hinata, 'kay?" Ino didn't want to say anything, but she was going to cry too if they stayed there. Nothing like that should ever have happened. Hinata only nodded her head causing them to leave the memory. Then they were back in the Nexus._

_Okay. Now I need you to be very still, and open yourself to me, okay? It will make things faster and easier. The less I have to fight you to do this, the easier it will be on both of us._

_Hinata only nodded, still upset about the momory._

_As they were on their way out of the memory, they bumped into one that had drifted close to the one they were in and were caught up in the middle of one of Hinata's dreams. Ino only had time to register Naruto laying in bed with Hinata on top of him and a lot of skin before Hinata noticed and, in her embarassment, quickly threw the dream memory away so fast that they were out before Ino could be sure she saw what she thought she saw and realized how much force Hinata used to spare herself the embarassment, they were in nearly a totally dark void where she pushed all memories well away from them._

_'That's the last time I do that in someone's mind...' thought Ino. She quickly made her "false memory" in Hinata's Nexus using several quick seals._

**"You will, when around Naruto, have no inhibitions. You will be willing to make Naruto yours. When around Naruto, you will not notice any of your fear, any shyness or lack of confidence. You will do what you feel right to you to acknowledge your feelings to Naruto however you see fit. You will feel you can do anything you put your mind to."**

_Ino quickly closed the memory and set it for use as needed by forming several seals. Now all that was left was to clean up and get back to her body._

-----------------------------

Ino rose first, a bit slowly and she looked somewhat tired, but she rose, followed a few seconds later by Hinata. Ino was afraid to know what other memories of Naruto in pain she may have, but she didn't want to look at Hinata in case she remembered the one they did see.

"WHAT THE?" Sakura and TenTen questioned in unison. They looked quite confused, which made Hinata and Ino confused.

"WHAT!" Ino was looking around and at her own and Hinata's bodies to see if anything creepy was around or if anything was missing.

"Well, you were only in there MAYBE a minute. You practically just told us that you were gonna slump down when you did, and TenTen and I spoke a few sentences, to be interrupted by you guys getting up." She still looked confused.

Ino couldn't believe what she was hearing. That was just, nowhere near enough time.

"But, when I did this with Shikamaru, it was nearly half an hour. Hm.. Maybe it was just because I knew what to expect this time, but still... I mean, we even saw some of Hinata's memories and dreams." She forgot to cut herself off when she mentioned the dream, she didn't want to go into THAT again. But the way she closed her mouth with a snap, the other two were instantly curious as to what the dream was. And asking only made them press all the harder at how both girls were as red as Hinata had ever been in her life.

------------------------

They had stopped pestering for hints when they realized they weren't going to get anywhere, so they let it go.

"So, do you think it worked?" TenTen asked both girls in front of her. She couldn't tell any different as of yet. "I mean, shouldn't we see something different?"

"Well..." Ino looked sheepishly at the others. "Eheh... I kinda put in there that the changes would be specifically around Naruto. That was what we were talking about and what she agreed to, so that was all I wanted to do."

"Well, I guess we can see if it worked out or not tomorrow or the next day. She is bound to see Naruto soon anyway. Oh.." Sakura looked from Hinata to Ino. "Um, how long of a time limit did you give her on this anyway? A month? A week?" Sakura's brow was scrunched together trying to figure out what the most beneficial amount of time would have been.

"Huh? What time limit?" Ino had no clue what Sakura was talking about.

"You gave Shikamaru a one day time limit to make sure something bad didn't come from this, I assumed you would do the same on this. After all, we can't have her ALWAYS losing 'ALL' of her inhibitions when around Naruto can we? And obviously you COULDN'T have said 'all' when you were in there.. there would be nothing to keep him from possibly taking advantage of the situation for however long..." Sakura was still thinking heavily and didn't really notice Ino as she just froze and was getting more and more worried. TenTen however, noticed it the whole time.

"Um.. Ino, what exactly did you tell her?" Sakura looked at TenTen who spoke and then at Ino, almost immediately, starting to get worried.

"Oh Ino, no... tell me you didn't!" Sakura looked at Hinata, who was yawning and not really paying attention.

"I took care of that advantage crap, but I didn't put a time limit on it. I didn't think about it. But I would be easy to take this right off. All I have to do is get her down for a moment, and then after a few minutes, badda bing, badda boom. All's well again." Ino would have not worried so much, but she was, after all, just learning this new jutsu.

They went ahead and had the normal girl talks and played the normal games through the rest of the night until they fell asleep. All the while, assuring Ino and Hinata that they wouldn't let the dreams and memories questioning die out.

-----------------------------------------

_The sky was a darkened blue so deep it was nearly black. Stars illuminated throughout the entire sky and hazey clouds of light, much like the Aurora Borealis, illuminated over the soft, green grass. The trees glowed a soft blue-white light and the leaves were clear, but as if a milky green shown through them. A waterfall of sparkling stardust came off the cliffs at the end of a small river, turning into the purest, clean water you had ever seen._

_"Do you like my Special Place Hinata?" Naruto was sitting beside Hinata looking up at the light show above. He brought her here to share this place with her. _

_"It's wonderful Naruto." Hinata whispered. "Why did you wait so long to bring me here?" Hinata looked over at Naruto only to see him looking at her._

_"I hadn't made up my mind yet." He looked up at the sky as he spoke. This sky was a sky unlike any other. This sky shifted with the heart of the one looking at it. Of the one who would sit in it's light._

_"Hadn't decided what, Naruto?" Hinata looked up at the sky to watch what he watched. She didn't think she could look at him. She didn't want to risk what she might see... Or what she wouldn't._

_"How to love you of course." Naruto reached over and gently pushed Hinata's coat off her shoulders, placing his hand behind the middle of her back and bushed her back with his lips as he kissed her collarbone on the softer skin._

_Hinata took in a sharp breath as she leaned back, letting him control their descent. She ran her hand up the back of his hand and dug her fingers through his hair feeling him gently lick the spot his just kissed._

_"N-Naruto" Hinata layed backback and felt his fingertips run around her shoulder to the front of her neck and very slowly, run straight down her chest in lazy circles._

_Naruto kissed up her neck and nibbled her earlobe with his lips. He whispered in her ear for comfort and to let her hear him. "Shh. Quiet Love. I'm on a mission." He flashed her a mischevious smirk as she giggled and kissed her neck again, lightly scraping his teeth against her skin just enough for her to feel it, and slowly put his palm on her stomach and ran his palm down to her thigh and squeezed gently, then ran his fingtips, pressing lightly, up the inside of her thighs to the top, and around giving her a shudder in her body._

_Naruto blew gently on her neck where he had been kissing while his hand reached the bottom of her shirt. Naruto looked Hinata in the eye and smiled then went down to her stomach and kissed her belly, going up as the shirt did. He noticed her skin had a pink tint to it and looked at her face again to notice that it was just the lower part of her blushing face. He leaned up to her and kissed her on the mouth. A gentle kiss, sucking gently on her bottom lip and letting it go very slowly._

_"You don't need to blush." Naruto cocked his head a little to the side and whispered in her ear again. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen." Naruto leaned back a little, looked her in the eyes again, and maintained the contact until she closed her eyes as he started kissing her again._

_Hinata arched her back and let him take her shirt all the way off. Naruto left the shirt around her wrists and held them above her head as she lay on the ground and he kissed her neck again and down over her breasts, pressing heavily with his lips but lifting her breasts as he sucked and licked lightly over them._

_Hinata raised her hands and took the shirt off her hands and tossed it aside and sat up, making Naruto sit back on his knees. She grabbed Naruto's hand and placed it on the end of her wrappings, signaling him to start undoing them. Naruto began taking it off as she kissed his neck this time, pushing his own jacket off._

_As Naruto pulled the last of the wrappings off, Hinata pulled his head down to her breasts again, letting him suck her nipples into his mouth and pull gently, making soft moans escape Hinata. Naruto put Hinata's right breast in his and and lifted slightly, pinching her nipple between his fingers while his mouth suckled on her left, then switched. Getting each nipple hard, erect, and wet. He gently squeezed nad fondled each breasts, tickling very gently on the underside of her breasts, causing her to laugh and squirm under his touch._

_Hinata reached up and pulled Naruto's shirt off, sadly making him stop his attention on her breasts. When it was off, she traced the outline of his muscles and bent down kissing his chest making him fall on his back this time. Hinata was getting tired of moving slow. This was getting to be too much. She reached down and started pulling down his pants, kissing down his chest and then stomach as she did. She had his pants off, and took off his shoes as she pulled each one off his leg. Hinata could see Naruto already getting hard. _

_Hinata stood up and started to take her pants off, letting them slide off of her hips as she wiggled to let them fall on their own. She then, very slowly, slid off her panties. She watched Naruto take in her fully naked body, letting him look, enjoying his eyes on her. She bent down and started to pull Naruto's underwear off and saw his dick rise up, unbound._

_Hinata took Naruto's dick into her soft hands and started to rub up and down on it, seeing him close his eyes as his eyes rolled back and he let out a growl. Hinata reached down and rubbed herself, feeling herself already soaking wet._

_Hinata stood and stepped over Naruto with a foot on either side of his hips, she sat down and positioned herself right over top him. Naruto held her up by her waist and started to lower her as she let herself fall._

_Hinata could feel Naruto press against her opening and then the whole universe flashed white._

------------------------

Sakura was the first to wake up. She looked at the other girls still laying in their respective places. Ino was sleeping on her bed, blankets wrapped around her legs as if she were rolled in it and her right arm draped across her face. She briefly entertained the idea of tieing small strings to her fingers to let her wake herself up feeling small furry things on her face, but decided against it. She remembered how loud she can get. Her lungs were about as good as Naruto's. She glanced at TenTen laying on her bedding with a little drool dribbling down her chin as she slept. Sakura could only smile. Then she looked at Hinata.

Hinata was curled up inside her sleeping bag, fully covered and bundled up with only her face peeking out of it onto her pillow. Her brow was scrunched together slightly as if she were thinking and was making small breathing noises where she was breathing a little harder every few seconds. Sakura bent over to see if she was having any ill effects from Ino's tampering.

_"Stupid Ino-pig. Getting Hinata to think those things. This better not blow up in our faces... I doubt Hiashi would like what this could do to her." _She stopped right before she touched Hinata's forehead when the girl's eyes opened quickly, looking directly at Sakura.

"G-Good morning Hinata. You were looking troubled in your sleep, I was worried that Ino's meddling with you might have .. cause some trouble..." Sakura felt like she was being evaluated. It scared her just a little bit the way Hinata opened her eyes like that.

"Good m-morning Sakura. I was fine, i-it was just a dream." Hinata looked at her sleeping bag and down a little bit. She wasn't lieing, she was dreaming, though it was about Naruto. But when she felt someone's presense intrude on her in that kind of situation, her embarassment filled her up so much that she wound up waking up. Remembering the dream, she immediately started to feel a familiar heat in her ears. _"That is much further than it has ever gone before. We've never gotten naked before. But why did it have to end there?"_

Sakura calmed down when she saw Hinata blush. Maybe things would continue as they had. _"Ino-pig probably just wanted to be the center of attention last night. What a b-"_ Sakura's thoughts were cut short as a pillow hit her in the back of the head.

"HAHA! Such a large target, I couldn't resist Forehead Girl!" Sakura turned to see Ino with a huge grin that matched some of Naruto's best. Then a pillow hit her from both the side and the front as TenTen and Sakura both whacked her with a pillow.

"Oh, Ino, that was you! I thought I saw a huge hairy ego over there!" TenTen rested on her elbow as she smiled smugly at Ino. "Aaaand, that is what you get for waking me up."

"Betrayed by my own friends! You turn against me as soon as you see my back is turned!" Ino over-acted with such feigned drama, that even Hinata giggled. They continued with their acting until Ino went down to make breakfast.

Sakura couldn't help but give out a last word of advice to Ino, "INO-PIG!" Ino turned at the door to be hit by a pillow again. "DUCK!" Sakura was thoroughly pleased with herself as Ino's vein throbbed and growled back at Sakura and then stormed out the door.

"Think we shouldn't have double-teamed her?" TenTen was stretching in a way that reminded Hinata of a cat with a yawn. A happy cat at that.

"M-maybe you should have h-held your own tournament." Hinata and the others smiled at her quiet joke.

--------------

After everyone had eaten their breakfast, they all went their seperate ways to begin their daily routines and TenTen had to get with Rock Lee and Neji to get ready for their mission and take care of their last minute needs. Sakura went off to the hospitol to begin her rounds and Hinata went off to train with Shino.

---------------

After her training session, Hinata wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Except maybe to see Naruto, so she made her way by Ichiraiku Ramen to see if her handsome blonde was there, and sure enough, in his usual seat, he sat, on his third bowl of miso pork ramen, happily slurping away.

Hinata sat next to Naruto and ordered a bowl of beef ramen, her weariness now forgotten.

"Hello Naruto.." Hinata spoke slowly, drawing out each word a little longer than normal. She looked Naruto in the eyes, something she never did for longer than a second.

"Oi! Hi Hinata! The ramen is extra great today! What's up?" Naruto only stopped eating long enough to flash Hinata one of his patented smiles and speak, and then was back to his noodles, now on his fifth bowl.

"Not much really. Just training." Hinata took her bowl from Mr. Ichiraiku with a "Thank you." and a small bit of her normal blush returning.

"How about you Naruto? How was your training today? Hinata started eating her ramen waiting for Naruto to finish his bowl, which he always did in a single bite anyway, for his answer.

"Eh, it is going good. But the training schedule I have myself on really takes it out of me. The first half of the day I am using as physical training, and the last half, I use to train chakra control and practice trying to make new ninjutsu." Naruto scratched the back of his head after that and then went back to slurping up his ramen.

"Oh, and have you created any new jutsu?" Hinata was surprised he would try something like that. She didn't really think he would know where to begin.

"Eheh, not yet.. BUT I WILL!" Naruto poked his chopskitcks at her to emphasize his point. "I'll make some of the best jutsu you've ever seen!" With that, Naruto went back to his eighth bowl of ramen in a loud slurp again.

"I'm sure you'll get it Naruto. Your couldn't quit or fail even if you wanted to. It just isn't in you." Hinata smiled at him as he sat there staring at her with noodles hanging out of his mouth dribbling down his chin, which only caused her to laugh a little harder.

Naruto bit down on the noodles, letting them fall back into the bowl and swallowing what he had in his mouth and then wiped the juice off his chin with his sleeve.

"Eh, what're you laughing at?" Naruto was getting defensive. You shouldn't just laugh at someone who is wanting to try and make better jutsus. It just isn't right!

"Haha! You just looked so funny with noodles hanging out of your mouth and .. aha, you had it dribbling down your chin," She let out another giggle. "And your eyes were really big and round! It was funny!" Hinata stopped laughing out loud, but still smiled really big and occasionally jerked with a surpressed giggle.

"Oh." Naruto situated himself on his stool better and swirled his ramen in the bowl. After a few seconds, he looked over at Hinata who was eating her noodles, but still watching Naruto out of the corner of her eye. "Hinata, something is.. different."

Hinata paused for a brief moment and then put her noodles back in the bowl.

"What do you mean?" She turned and looked at him. Somewhat curious, and a little nervous about where this could be going. She could feel her blush return with a small amount of it's normal force.

"Eh, I dunno... Its just, eh, you haven't stuttered yet... and you're talking more. It is a little different. That's all." Naruto was looking into his ramen with unnatural concentration. He was a little uncomfortable saying those things, he knew she was shy. Well, he _thought_ he knew she was shy, but she didn't seem that way today at all. Though she did still blush a little.

"Mm." Hinata took a bite of her ramen before answering. "Well, I guess a few things ARE different. But, different would be good.. I think.." Hinata was looking at Naruto, seeing if she could gauge his reaction.

"YEA! You seem like more fun when you aren't so shy! And, it IS good to be able to actually hear you speak." Naruto was flashing his usual grin, scratching the back of his head.

Hinata let out a soft laugh and watched him finish his last of twenty bowls of ramen.

"Well, I would say that you should be able to hear me more. I've been in the mood for ramen lately anyway. Maybe we'll meet up more often?" Hinata made sure to stress the question in her statement. She wanted to get an answer out of her loveable blonde.

"Hehe. Any time we are here together, I'll get ya a bowl of ramen!" Naruto waved as he ran off to go home for the night. He had to get up early for a "C" class mission. Hinata paid her bill and turned to go back to Hyuuga mansion but hit Sakura and fell back into her seat.

"S-sorry Sakura! I d-didn't mean to bump into you!" Hinata flushed brilliantly as Sakura sat next to her really fast. She was making Hinata nervous with the way she was looking at her. "I-is s-something wrong S-Sakura?"

"Hinata... I came across you and Naruto about the time you practically _purred_ his name." Sakura couldn't help but smile at that, but Hinata couldn't help but go so red that Sakura was worried she would faint.

"Woah, woah. Calm down Hinata! I was just wanting to know if you are okay! Its okay!" Sakura was almost positive Hinata would pass out. She was practically hyper-ventilating as it was.

"W-w-w-wha-what d-d-do you mean, S-S-Sakura? I j-just ac-acted normall-lly." Hinata was calming seeing that Sakura really didn't mind so much, but it was still embarassing that she might have actually PURRED Naruto's name.

"You just seemed, I don't know, more like INO rather than Hinata there. Complete self-confidence and everything. I was shocked so badly that I just stood off to the side and hid so you wouldn't see me. I was curious where that was going. What was so different?" Sakura was a little worried that, whatever Ino may have done, may have been a little TOO strong.

"I don't kn-know. When I was next to h-him, I just wanted to s-s-say the things I n-normally want to s-say." Hinata was beginning to calm. With the talk centered around Naruto, she could focus on him and be okay. She knew she could. "What d-did you need with N-Naruto anyway?"

Sakura jerked up having totally forgotten.

"OH! I needed to tell him some of the supplies to make sure to take with us on the mission tomorrow! Kakashi found me and said to make sure Naruto brought them! Did he say where he was heading?" Sakura would kill Naruto if she lost her chance to tell him so early what to take with him. Sure, it wasn't his fault, but she couldn't blame herself afterall.

"Naruto was going home to go to bed. He said he wanted to be rested up for his huge mission tomorrow." Hinata nodded into the direction of Naruto's house.

"Some huge mission.." Sakura grumbled the words so Hinata couldn't hear, but meant them all the same. "Uh, Hinata, I don't actually know exactly where Naruto lives. He's never invited me over now that I think about it..." Sakura had started focusing on nothing with a finger to her chin as she pondered her not knowing Naruto's location. Then she got an idea and smiled with all the mischief she was feeling. Hinata was getting worried.

"Um.. S-Sakura?" Hinata started poking her fingers together. She was getting REALLY nervous with that look on Sakura's face. "Um, what exa-exactly are you th-thinking? Y-You have a st-strange look on your f-face..."

"Well, I figured that I don't know where Naruto lives, but I think YOU might." Sakura grabbed a squeeky Hinata by the arm and started off. "We have a few things to take on the mission and they aren't normal items to take for this type of missi- huh?" Sakura was pulled to a stop by Hinata.

"N-Naruto lives the other direction." Hinata blushed a small bit at making Sakura have to stop, but she WAS going the wrong direction. "W-what kinds of items do you need that c-can't wait until tomorrow anyway?"

"Well..." Sakura paused a few moments, trying to decide what to say. "Well, this isn't a normal mission. Naruto, myself, and two other unknown shinobi are actually going to a neighboring town for an information retrieval excercise. I will explain more when we get to Naruto's if you stay to listen. Tsunade explained the details to me earlier. All Naruto was told at the time was that we were getting a "C" rank mission." Sakura pushed Hinata ahead of her and followed as they made their way to his apartment.

------------------

Naruto was putting his frog hat on after he took his shower. He didn't worry about his shirt. It was too hot. He just went around in boxers, shorts and that hat. He loved that little frog. Naruto had just finished a glass of water and was falling into his bed as he heard knocking at his door.

"Eh? Who'd that be?" Naruto got up, grabbed a kunai from his pouch and went to the door. He spun the kunai in his hand point sticking away from his body, ready to deflect whatever my come through and opened the door.

"NARUTO!" Naruto jumped back as Sakura whacked him on the head. "What do you think you are doing holding a kunai at people when they knock on your door!" Sakura was angry that Naruto scared her with the kunai. That was among the things she LEAST expected from him.

"S-Sakura, what did you hit me for?" Naruto was holding his hands against the top of his head as he walked over to his kunai pouch and put it back.

"The first thing I see when you open the door is a kunai, what do you expect? A hug?" Sakura went over and sat on his chair. "And you should really put some clothes on! There are women present you know!"

"The kunai was for protection. A lot of people don't like me. I never really know what I would have on the other side of the door. And besides, this is my house, I can dress however I wa- huh? Hinata? What did you come with Sakura for?" Naruto just noticed the girl standing in the doorway looking at him with a small smile on her face. "Huh? What's so funny?" Naruto looked from Hinata to Sakura and back again.

"Nothing is funny, I just really like the sleeping cap. We should sit down, Sakura has a bit to go over with you and I was curious to hear it. Mind if I get a drink?" With that she went to his kitchen for a bit of water. When she came back, Naruto was sitting on the couch so he could look at Sakura as they spoke. Hinata took the liberty of sitting right up against him.

"So what DID you need to say anyway?" Naruto felt Hinata sit next to him, relatively close.

"Well, the mission we are going on tomorrow isn't a full-fledged mission. It is actually an advanced training mission." Sakura stopped there as she saw Naruto open his mouth to blurt something out.

"EH? What do you mean it isn't a full-fledged mission? We are already through all our trainings, why -"

"CAN YOU BE QUIET AND LISTEN?" Sakura's vein was pulsing on her forehead. How could one guy cause so much frustration in so little time?

Naruto sat back onto the couch, not even realizing he had gotten up. As he sat, he realized he sat a little closer to Hinata from not having watched where he was sitting. This only made Hinata smile and lean back and a little more to Hinata.

"What I mean is just that, now listen up to everything and ask questions after. Tsunade wants to try and start using us for more advanced missions. She made a deal with some friends from a few cities. They orchestrated a whole series of events, enemies and clues and such for us to try to solve it. It will be you, me, and two others along with Kakashi and Anko. Tomorrow, we get to meet the other two, they will be told about their's tomorrow. Tsunade hasn't chosen the two yet, she said."

Sakura noticed a strange look from Hinata. Something of a .. contemplation type look... _"That was ... odd. She is totally different now than she was on her way over here. Please Ino... don't have made some horrible thing happen to Hinata."_

"Basically, we will be on our own with Kakashi and Anko as our observers. To see how we worked as a team, how we thought, things like that. They will be evaluating our information gathering abilites, ability to hide our identities and other things of that nature. Basically, as if this were an actual mission to go in, get info and get out without drawing attention to ourselves. NOW you can talk." Sakura sat back in the chair. She was curious on how he would take the information. She basically told him he couldn't act like his normal self. _"This should be so much fun..."_

"So, in truth, by all rights this actually IS still a mission. We will still have a job to complete. That still constitutes a mission. As for the goal of it, I think I would rather wait until tomorrow to find out what exactly we have to do before I decide on whether or not I plan on how I would go through with it. You didn't really tell me anything... EH? Naruto quickly put his hands up as Sakura bolted up from her chair, fists clenched and her vein throbbing in her forehead as well. She looked like she was ready to take his blood. "Not that I am not thankful you are trying to help me out! I just don't understand what this had to do with that it couldn't wait until tomorrow on the way to the next village..."

Naruto relaxed immediately when Sakura sat back down looking a bit shocked. He leaned back against the back of the couch and let his hands fall to his sides, one falling onto the armrest, the other onto Hinata's thigh. However, he was still giving his attention to Sakura and didn't even notice, though Hinata did and was quite happy about it.

Sakura got up and stormed to the door. "I just wanted to give you an update over what we were looking over tomorrow, and to let you know you need to bring a few things you don't normally bring, but with an attitude like that, you can figure it out tomorrow with the other two that get chosen. HMPH!" With that, she went out the door and closed it.

"Now what's with her?" Naruto had no clue what just happened.

"I don't know Naruto. However, your hand really shouldn't be there." Hinata couldn't help but play with Naruto a bit.

"Huh, what do you mea-WHOA MY GOD! I'm sorry Hinata!" Naruto jerked his hand away so fast when he actually paid attention to where it was that Hinata was actually a little bit upset with him. That wouldn't do at all.

Hinata put a hand on either side of a very nervous Naruto and leaned up so her face was just a few inches from his and then smiled with a "Hmph".

"When you get back Naruto, you and I are going to get together and we're gonna train together." Hinata tilted her head a little bit to the side. "M'kay?"

Naruto didn't know what was going on. All he could get out was a mumbled "Sure."

Hinata paused a moment looking Naruto in the eyes. She could like this game.

"Alright. When you get back then." Hinata leaned in and gently brushed her lips against Naruto's and kissed him, sucking gently on his bottom lip and then backing away a few inches again.

"W-w-w-what w-was that, H-Hinata?" Naruto was blushing furiously. This was NOT normal! _"I don't know what is going on.. but.. that is not supposed to happen!"_

"It was a kiss Naruto." Hinata gave him a moment and then stood straight up. She smiled down at him and then left the room and shut the door with a click.

"What the hell?" Naruto didn't know what was going on. That wasn't the normal Hinata. But, it DID happen though, right?

As soon as the door closed, Hinata began to blush furiously and the world started to spin. She began to run home over the roof tops, adding bits of chakra to her feet as she stepped off each time getting as much speed as she could.

_"I can't believe I just did that! I've thought about it so many times, but, I never would have done anything like that! This must be what Ino had done. I guess.. I guess I will give it a little more and see what happens. He at least has an idea of what I feel for him now... I guess it would be good to finally figure out what he thinks now... Just PLEASE let him want this... But the kissing was much like my dream. I wonder if he enjoyed being on the recieving end this time."_

Hinata stopped on the eighth roof she got on. She looked back towards Naruto's apartment. _"No, this won't do..."_ She quickly headed off in the other direction. She had one other thing left to do before she made it home.

-------------

Author's Note - First story, PLEASE be gentle. Second chapter coming VERY shortly, assuming I can figure out this website's systems... Paladeus


	2. The Mission and Kitsune Hinata

Author's Note - Hidy, so what did you guys think of Chapter 1? This is installment 2. I had already done this much, plus a little more, but I will update about once a week unless I have more time off from work. I just finished uploading ch1, so I don't think anyone has read it yet, and I am merely hoping I got this done correctly, lol. I will be going on vacation soon, so the story, wherever I am at, will sprout from there. Enjoy

Disclaimer, as I didn't think to add it on my last one I think - I don't own Naruto.

-------------

"You're late Naruto! I've been waiting for eight minutes already!" Sakura was not a happy person when she had to just stand still to wait for Naruto.

"Eh, its not like Kakashi won't be late anyway. And besides, I was trying to figure out exactly what I was supposed to bring because you refused to tell me." Naruto looked around Sakura then looked at her, puzzled. "Um, where are the others?"

"They haven't shown up yet either. I am still not sure who was supposed to be coming with us."

"Mn." Naruto only grumbled his response. He set his pack down and leaned up against it, closing his eyes waiting for everyone to show up.

"What's up with you? Normally you're all happy and hyper-active. Is everything okay?" Sakura was worried. A sad Naruto was not a good Naruto. "Naruto? Are you okay?" Sakura just stood still waiting for his answer.

"Mn. Nothing is wrong, just tired." Naruto had no desire to talk about what happened last night, much less to Sakura. It wasn't that he disliked it, but he got almost no sleep trying to figure out what had happened and it was still making him crazy. He liked it. And he didn't think he should have.

"A-alright." Sakura didn't like a depressed Naruto. She couldn't help but get depressed with him.

Naruto was watching Sakura from under his lids. She was getting depressed and he was causing it. _"Just great. Now I am making her sad. Well... I can't have that."_ Naruto sighed to himself and then lifted his hand behind his head and flashed Sakura his patented Uzumaki Naruto grin of mischief.

"Oi, I'm just a little tired from not having slept much last night and I have several things on my head. After I get some sleep, and figure some things out, I'll be all better." Naruto was getting bored. This was just taking up some of his time in thinking.

A puff of smoke rose in between Naruto and Sakura as they were talking causing both to recoil in shock.

"Yo."

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura both yelled at Kakashi. They have come to expect it, but they couldn't help but proclaim his fault every time. That, and every time he showed up, he had that damned perverted book in his hands. Naruto went ahead and closed his eyes again and relaxed until they had to set out.

"Aha, sorry about that. I was on my way here and this older woman was being mauled by this band of attack cats. I couldn't just leave her to fend for herself, so I was forced to henge into a dog and scare them all away, but then, instead of attacking her, they all went after me. I just got away from them and popped over here."

Naruto and Sakura just looked at him. _"Does he actually expect us to believe these stories?"_ Sakura couldn't help but wonder.

"Anyway, Anko should be showing up soon with her two charges. Then the two of us will decide which of you are on teams with who and we will explain exactly what is going on on the way to the next village." Kakashi started reading from his book waiting for Naruto to explode in questions, but he didn't hear a sound from him.

"Huh, Naruto are you okay?" Kakashi couldn't remember a time where the boy wasn't bouncing around like he had just eaten several handfuls of sugar.

"Fine. So who are the other two shinobi going with us?" Naruto was still sitting with his eyes closed. He didn't care what Kakashi thought. At least not right now anyway.

"That would be us Naruto." Anko walked up and kicked Naruto in the leg to get him up and about.

"HEY! I was awake thank you!" Naruto rubbed his shin trying to get the pain to go away and looked to see who the other two shinobi were that would be coming along, and about crawled out of his skin.

"Hello Sakura, hello Naruto." Hinata let Naruto's name out a little slower than normal as she bent down and offered her hand to help him up.

"Uh.. uh.. Hi Hinata." Naruto was REALLY not liking this, but he grabbed her hand and let her help him up. However, she didn't let go of his hand immediately, she slid her fingers along his hand as she let it drop. The movement leaving goosebumps on his flesh.

"Hello Hinata! And hello to you as well Rock Lee! Good morning Anko!" Sakura was happy. They were FINALLY about to leave.

"Alright everyone. Now has everyone got everything they needed?" Kakashi didn't like the idea of having to make pit stops. This would prove to be mostly a baby-sitting job since neither he nor Anko would be able to interfere in the slightest unless to save them from certain death.

"Yes." They all replied in a slow monotone except Hinata, she looked deep in thought.

"Good. Then let's head out!" Anko took the lead and everyone else followed.

"If you don't mind Kakashi, Anko, what exactly are our orders now?" Sakura still didn't know what the story was supposed to be and she wanted to try and get an idea for the plans as soon as possible.

"Well, this is going to be classifed as a "C" rank intelligence mission. Your job will be to infiltrate the village, doing whatever possible to not be detected as shinobi, and you will get the specifics to the target on arrival after speaking with the Lord. As to what you need to know right now for the purpose of this excercise is as follows: Come up with a plan and background for being able to get into the village, speak with the Lord, he is expecting you, but how you get to him is your job. You will then get the specifics of your target and what exactly you are to be doing while there."

"From that point, once you ask whatever questions you deem necassary and get all information possible, you will then take up whatever covers you feel would best suit your purpose. We will, however, tell you this much. You four will be comprised of two teams and you will decide who is on what team and what each team's primary purpose is. From that point, do your job. Get the information, put it together, solve whatever problems you face and when done, Kakashi and I will evaluate you from what we watched you do, as well as what the Lord will say. We have an entire event orchestrated for you along with some clues, people in on it, and bits of misinformation running about as well. Don't misunderstand. This is a real mission. This is to gauge your abilities. We are here to make sure you miss nothing. Kakashi and I will not interfere unless it is to save your lives for one reason or another, but remember, you probably won't see us too much. This is everything you get from us. Ask questions if you will, but we will not go over the mission with you anymore than giving you that information again." Anko REALLY hoped she wouldn't have to repeat any of that.

"Mm, I have a question." Sakura wasn't sure how this would work out. It seems like they pulled out a lot of stops on this one. "The village we are going to, what is it's current state? I mean, normally, if we were starting a mission, we could ask questions about the village or would generally have a good idea of what we could do to initially get in and about. But we don't even know which one we are going to, much less anything about how we could begin our cover. I mean, we could each go in acting as couples looking for work or we could just be a few runaways from a different village that was having some kind of civil problem and didn't want to deal with it. What can we expect from this village?"

Anko and Kakashi just chuckled.

"Imagine this as being a village that a single scrap of information led you to. You have no knowledge of it or what it will be like. What would you have to do?" Kakashi enjoyed making Sakura think out things like this. It was something of a game to him. How he could make them come up with the answer or have to think without EVER having to answer their questions. Of course, they didn't think it was funny when there was no way for them to HAVE an answer, but it was still fun for him.

"Oh, so basically, we need to observe and come up with a plan. Got ya." Sakura went quiet and decided to come up with a few plans on different possabilites.

"Oh, who is leading the mission? We weren't assigned a leader. Tsunade said you would tell us what that was about when we headed out."

"There isn't one. You four will choose. Either don't assign one and see what happens or start the debates now. Because once we are out of the forest, you get no more help from us." Anko wanted to see where this would end up leading. This could prove to be fun after all.

"I would saw Sakura should lead. She has an analytical mind and I am sure she could take whatever actions would be needed when needed." Hinata certainly didn't want to lead. That would be too much attention. And, if she led, then everyone would count on her. That is just too much.

"YOSH! The fire of a divine leader burns deeply within Sakura! I agree with Hinata, Sakura would be the best candidate!" Rock Lee looked at Naruto to see what he would say. He had come to learn Naruto wasn't the brightest person around, but he was never power hungry. But Lee did wonder who he thought would be better suited for the job.

"Works for me. She was always the foundation of Team Seven. Without her, I may have had to actually have been serious the whole time." Naruto mocked feigned horror at the thought causing everyone to laugh though Anko just had a discomforting smirk.

_"He's back for now. I wonder what was wrong, and how long this will last."_ Sakura could only wonder. Though she had an idea it had something to do with Hinata with how he looked at her this morning. Sakura smiled. _"Well, we can hope."_

"Alright, it seems Sakura is the elected leader. No going back on it now guys. From here out, you will listen to what she has to say. We are, once we get into that clearing up there, merely observers. We'll be there in about three hours from here." Kakashi was going to have fun on this one. He would make sure of it.

-------------------

"Okay guys, let's stay back here for a bit. I want to get up to those cliffs on the side of the village, get a vantage from up there and we will observe them throughout the night and some of tomorrow. We'll figure out where the best way to get in will be and where we need to go. You guys okay with that?" Sakura liked being the leader, but she was nervous. She hasn't been the leader before, but she wanted to make sure everyone was okay with her decisions.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Naruto was already heading his way around through some trees to get out and around so he could get ahead and get up there when Lee stopped him.

"Please Naruto, let's take a few moments to allow everyone to come with you. We don't want to draw any unwanted attention." Lee let go of Naruto's arm when he mumbled an agreement.

"Well, Kakashi and I are going into the village. We will let you decide what to do from here. Once you enter the village, we will always be watching you. Doesn't that just make you a little nervous? Knowing you will _always_ be watched, but unsure of whether it is actually us or not?" Anko smiled a real smile at that, though it still held a lot of promise of misery. And with that, they poofed away.

"Ooookay. So we're on our own now. Let's go ahead to the cliffs. We will set up a small camp and keep a watch on the village. Then we'll get up early so we can watch it during the day. We will get what rest we can now. Who wants first watch?" Sakura looked between Hinata, Lee and Naruto until Naruto piped up volunteering for it.

"I'll take first watch. I am not tired anyway."

"I'll take the second watch." Hinata situated her pack on her shoulders a little better and started walking with Naruto and Lee with Sakura behind. They were making a wide birth of the village to help not being seen and get up to the top of the cliffs as easily as possible. Lee said he would take the third shift, leaving Sakura for the last.

--------------------------

Everyone was sleeping in their bedrolls and Naruto was looking out at the village keeping his watch. They had managed to find an area of the cliff with a large overhang and only one way in but with a small wall that was then enough that Lee could punch through it if the situation arose that it was needed. From there though, they could easily see anyone coming up the path, but they left some traps down a way to jingle a few bells if anyone came up. An almost useless tactic if anyone who knew what they were doing were on their way up, but it would work for the random people of the village.

Naruto had a Kage Bunshin keeping an eye on the trail down a bit that had a few of his kunai next to Naruto so if he was dispelled, so too, would the weapons. That would give him a heads up in worse came to worse. He was currently sitting against the entrance of their alcove looking up at the stars. He heard someone approaching from inside and looked to see Hinata a few feet away looking at him. Naruto tensed, unsure what was going to happen.

"_This is just a little too early. I was hoping I wouldn't have to talk to her alone until maybe after this was all over..."_ Naruto just looked back at the stars and waited for her to speak first. That way, maybe he wouldn't have to actually talk about it.

Hinata sat next to Naruto with a small distance between them. Enough that they could fit both Lee and Sakura between them without much difficulty. She looked up to the night sky and just sat watching it for a few minutes before Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"Couldn't sleep Hinata?" Naruto didn't really want to talk, but he coudldn't stand the quiet. It just wasn't in him.

Hinata looked over at Naruto then back to the sky. There were so many stars in such a big sky.

"Not really." She took a few more moments before answering again. "Naruto ... Why do you think we go through our lives in fear?" She spoke in a soft whisper. Naruto barely heard her. And it was nowhere NEAR what he expected.

_"Why isn't she talking about that kiss? Is she avoiding it?"_

"I don't think I understand." Naruto didn't know what to say. That was just ... so unexpected.

Hinata slowly looked over at Naruto and again whispered her question.

"Why do you think we live our lives in fear of anything?" She looked back at the night sky and continued her question. "I mean, we are born into our lives, we live, and we eventually die. One way or another. Why, or even what, do we live for?"

Naruto was taken aback by this. This was not a type of question people would ask him. He never had a chance for a life.

Naruto looked away from Hinata and back at the sky, thinking about his answer first.

"Hinata, I never knew my parents. They were gone before I ever got a chance to know them. My life has been nothing but hatred from everyone in the village except Sarutobi. He was the only person who ever acknowledged my existance as anything other than something that shouldn't exist. Eventually, there was Iruka, then Kakashi, Sakura and even Sasuke."

Naruto took a few moments before continuing. Hinata was watching him now, her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her arms. This was more serious than she had ever seen Naruto when it wasn't a serious born of necessity, like keeping himself and others alive. She didn't want to interrupt him. She was finally getting his story from him, not just piecing it together from everyone's comments, stares and open hatred towards him.

"Eventually, these people became precious to me. They were my everything. Everything I ever wanted. Everything I need." Naruto looked directly at her and smiled. But Hinata noticed it was a very sad smile. It didn't even touch his eyes. She wanted to cry with him as she knew he was inside.

"To me, _that_ is why I live. For them. Life to me is love. For my precious people, or even an eventual _person_. Someone to eventually share my life with. And for the village and its people. I exist to let them live their lives, and hopefully, eventually, be a part of it. Without the villagers hating me. For all of them, I can't fear anything. Or I can never acomplish any of it." Naruto was speaking very softly at the end, and Hinata wanted nothing more than to hold him, let him know she loved him, and tell him she wanted to live her life with him. But she knew she couldn't. She told him after his mission.

"Hinata, what is life to you?" Hinata had taken to letting her silent tears fall into her sleeve. She rubbed her eyes on her sleeve as she turned enough to look at him.

_"How am I supposed to answer that? He just practically explained the meaning of life! How can I tell him he _is_ my life?"_

"I haven't really decided. I know what I want in life. I know what I want to accomplish. The problem is getting there. I want have it, but I fear what would happen if I try. And if the worst happens, I feel like I would never be able to live. I was thinking about that when I was laying down. That's also why I couldn't sleep. And you have always been.. well... you. So I decided that, since I always saw fierce determination, undeniable confidence, even a desire for everyone else to excel, even if it wasn't someone of your own team or someone you even knew." Hinata looked back at the stars. They really were beautiful.

"I was hoping to hear some of your advice. Or what you would do if it were you." Hinata kept looking at the sky. She wasn't nervous at the idea of getting the information from Naruto, it was just what she would get as it was directly related to what she would do to let him know, in the end, what she thought of him.

Naruto was shocked to say the least. His entire life, it was something but people full of hatred after him, people never telling him anything good about either himself or what he could ever do, until recently of course, and of course, a lack of anyone, aside from Konohomaru, who ever thought he would or could do anything or amount to anything. And here was Hinata, a Hyuuga, the heir of the most prestigous family in Konoha, telling him she saw good in him. Saw him as ... anything. He couldn't help but smile his normal smile at her.

When Hinata heard Naruto laugh, she looked over to him and her heart swelled seeing him smile, and it actually shining in his eyes.

"Well, I would say that if you want something, go after it. That is what I do. And that is how I live; For my goals. If you want something, and don't go for it, then it is pointless to desire it. Right?" Naruto smiled after he saw Hinata smile at him. He liked smiles. Smiles were good.

Hinata was happy. She got exactly what she needed.

"Thank you Naruto." Hinata got up and stretched, letting out a small sound in her throat that reminded Naruto of purring, kind of like a cat. And the way she she was stretching just made him laugh a little as he pictured her as part cat.

Hinata narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

He just laughed a little harder and looked up at her, his eyes sparkling in the starlight with the added moisture from his laughing, nearly in tears from it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, but when you stretched, you made a sound that sounded a little like purring. I couldn't help but imagine you with these cute little pointy, fuzzy ears, a bushy tail and whiskers." Naruto let out a small laugh again. "Kitty is a good look for you." Naruto couldn't help but put his hand behind his head and give her his normal grin.

When Naruto opened his eyes he saw Hinata's face only a few fingers' width away from his face. He froze, stock still, eyes wide, remembering the last time they were this close.

Hinata was looking Naruto in the eyes and was mildly amused at his reaction to her having gotten so close while his eyes were closed. She would have to remember that. He DID tend to smile like that alot.

"Show me." Hinata whispered the words quietly, and said them with as much sensuality as she could muster. She promised him she would wait until after the mission to continue their previous situation. And she knew what she would do now.

"Eh? Show you what, Hinata?" Naruto was totally going crazy. Those words. He didn't know why, but they were ... different.

"Show me how I looked in your mind. Use a Henge. I want to see my .. 'Kitty' ... look." Hinata paused at the 'kitty' part and drew it out a little. She liked this game. Hinata drew back a bit and stepped backwards a few paces to give him room.

"U-uh, I never made a Henge of that before." Naruto waited for her to realize it would be too difficult, but she just stood there, watching him, waiting.

"Do it for me. I want to see what you saw."

_"I want to see how you see me as..."_

Naruto sat there a few more moments before standing. He got up and wiped his hands on his pants leg more out of nervous movements rather than anything else.

"I wasn't joking... if this, in any way, makes you angry, just remember that I've never done it before..." Naruto wasn't sure, but he felt, very strongly, that he would get a severe thrashing if this turned out like when he tried to teach Konohamaru his Sexy No Jutsu.

"Then do it right. Try to make it perfect for me." Hinata wasn't sure what to expect, but she felt he would have a better ability if he was going to do it for her specifically rather than just doing it.

"Alright..." Naruto didn't know what to think. This was ... odd.

Naruto took a moment to remember what he saw in his mind. He thought up as much detail as he could. The texture of the fur, the sheen, her body, her tails... her face. He tried to remember all the things he had to perfect on his Sexy No Jutsu, and tried to remember as quickly as possible, what he had to do to perfect it.

"Here we go..."

Naruto formed a handseal and put as much chakra as he could into it.

"**KyuuHina No Jutsu!**" Naruto disappeared into a cloud of smoke, and what showed up took Hinata's breath away.

When the smoke cleared, Hinata saw herself, but, though she could tell it was her, it was so very different. So very _beautiful_. The Hinata in front of her was the same height, but her ears were pointy, just like a cat. They had fur on them that was a deep blue just like Hinata's actual hair, but shone brilliantly in the starlight. Her eyes were the same, but there was a light grey oval of a pupil where he current eyes held no pupils. She saw whiskers, just like Naruto's on her face, and her features were a bit sharper. Hinata also noticed that this version was incredibly **_gorgeous_**! Her lips were a deep red, with Kitsune Hinata's canines a little longer than normal and her skin still pale. Her hands were a bit larger, with her nails a little longer and definitely thicker. And a very noticeable difference, there were seven bushy tails idly swaying in the breeze behind Kitsune Hinata and her body had a bit more definition to her curves, though that could just be from a relatively form-fitting outfit she was wearing. Kitsune Hinata had sensuality and grace radiating off of her with such a fierce aura that Hinata was in awe of it.

Hinata could only keep her mouth opening and closing, not even able to get the words she wanted out.

"N-Naruto." Hinata could only whisper, the sounds coming out barely more than wind.

Kitsune Hinata put her hand behind her head and flashed a smile a little similar to Naruto's normal one, but very Kitsune Hinata. It held promise of sensuality, and a threat to anyone who would cross 'her'.

"Did it turn out okay Hinata?" Naruto tried to apply everything he had learned from creating his Sexy No Jutsu into making this, and hoped he wouldn't get beaten.

"Naruto, she is so beautiful." Hinata didn't know what else to say. This was the most incredible thing she had ever seen.

"Mm, Naruto? What is goin- OH MY GOD!" Sakura let out a small squeek as she saw Hinata and a cat-like creature standing in front of her.

"Sakura, please, it's okay! It's just Naruto!" Hinata was a little worried. Sakura looked like she might either attack Naruto or wake up Lee with her outbursts and he may simply attack. And with his speed, Naruto would be in trouble.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura looked over at the cat-like creature and noticed that it looked a _lot_ like Hinata. Then it was gone in a cloud of smoke and Naruto stood in it's place.

"What was THAT?" Sakura had never seen anything so.. _regal_ before.

"Eh, Hinata and I were talking, and she got up, stretched and made a sound like she was purring. It made me picture her like that in my mind. She wanted to see it, so I tried to make a Henge of what I saw in my mind..." Naruto trailed off toward the end. It was obvious he went ahead and tried it.

"But... if you just were talking and thought it up, then how did you make it so well? I mean, that was absolutely _gorgeous_! How did you figure out how to do that in just a few hours?" Sakura couldn't believe Naruto, of all people, could come up with that so quick. He wasn't the brightest shinobi, nor did he have the best of abilites.

"Actually, he did it after about a minute or so after he imagined it. We had just finished talking and I yawned like he said and he laughed. I asked him to try it, and he did." Hinata felt proud of Naruto. That was a wonderful Henge, and Sakura didn't want to believe he did it. She would teach Sakura. This was _her_ Naruto.

"You're kidding right? I mean, he never really had the Henge down too well, except for that perverted jutsu he came up with." Sakura was voicing her disgust at that one when Naruto clenched his hand into a fist.

"I don't care if you believe it or not, I did, and that's that. You woke up early, you should go back to bed." Naruto was quite upset. He managed to do something Hinata had asked of him, and Sakura was telling him straight to his face, that he couldn't have done it.

"You don't really have any belief or faith in me or my abilities, do you Sakura?" Naruto had unclenched his fists, now hanging limply at his sides. He looked directly at her, but spoke softly. He could already tell, but he wanted to know her answer anyway.

Sakura was taken back. He just asked if she thought he had any ability. As if she didn't think that he could do anything.

"Of course I have faith in your abilities Naruto, I have seen what you can do when you are in trouble! You have proven yourself in battle countless times! I can't believe you would think something like that!" Sakura had a vein in her forehead from his antics. This wasn't supposed to be happening on the eve of their big mission.

"What about outside of battles?" Naruto didn't get his answer. Not yet anyway.

"Naruto," Sakura sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, but it had to be done. "You aren't the smartest when it comes to general knowledge. Everyone knows that. It just isn't your thing. But when it comes to ability, and this is the only time you are ever getting this out of me, you have the potential to be among the greatest. You just need to actually apply yourself. If you really just did that Henge after thinking it up just now, then you have also just proved it. Now, in the morning, I want to see that again. That was awesome! Now bed! And try not to be so loud again. Your transformation is what woke me up. Well... that... and Lee seems to like to snuggle..." And with that, Sakura made a desperate face and went back to lay down.

"She says that like she isn't fond of the idea." Hinata giggled at Naruto's comment, and Sakura poked her head out of the crevice in the wall. Hinata and Naruto both stopped laughing at her ferocious expression. After she went back in to lay down, both of them looked at each other and Hinata pawed at the air and hissed at Naruto.

Naruto only laughed and pushed Hinata in to get her nap until her turn to keep watch.


	3. The Mission Revealed Secrets Held

Author's Note - Hidy hidy! Now you get to find out what the whole mission is about!

Also, per a comment via review (Rat07): There will not be any beastiality. Naruto transforming into that version of Hinata is merely something to show how he views Hinata. If she had been a mange-riddle cat, then it would have shown that he thought little of her. But it showed Hinata in a very.. well.. sensual/loving/cute nature. It was meant to convey her image through his eyes, even if it was meant for the comical aspect. But also, I want to play that into the plot in the future (the image of her as a feline-esque creature with tails.)

Also, to mention about the name(s) from another review (LoyaltyAboveAll). I am aware Kitsune means Fox. I wanted to go with a reference to the Kyuubi within Naruto in his observence. Also, as for the Kyuu thing, that again was merely in reference to the Kyuubi within Naruto. That, and I have a dictionary (translator from or something like that) that I use for some things (like the Jutsu names in a battle a few chapters in from here.) Which, also brings me to point out that, I get multiple possabilities for some words, so it might be a good time to tell you that I chose the ones that I thought would work the best, or would be easiest to remember, lol. And again, the name for KyuuHina No Jutsu is just to have a bit of Naruto and a bit of Hinata together in a slight way without actually making to quick of a leap into a relationship. There is something I want to happen, where if you read my previous comments, you probably know what it is already, lol, but I want that to happen because it was so.. different. o.o

Sorry about the long comment, I just wanted to get that out of the way. No real flames yet, I guess I can take that as a good sign?

-------------------

Sakura woke up the others a bit before the sun rose so they could begin their watch over the village. After Lee returned from the forest with some food, Sakura remembered the night before and Naruto's Henge, so after they ate, she wanted a demonstration again before they made up their entrance idea.

"Hey, Naruto. You were gonna show me that Henge again. Can we do it now?"

"Sure." Naruto stood a little inside their sleeping area so the smoke wouldn't risk being seen from the village.

"**KyuuHina No Jutsu!**" Naruto then disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, all three were shocked at Kitsune Hinata. Sakura and Hinata had already seen her, but were still amazed. Lee, however, had a slightly different reaction.

Lee's eyes morphed into huge hearts and he immediately yelled out "KAWAII!" Lee made a grab to hug the creature before Sakura grabbed him by his collar and firmly told him to sit while pointing her finger down at the ground.

"You look just like a squirrel Naruto!" Lee loved squirrels, they were just so cute!

"Heh, Lee, I prefer this form to be called Kitsune Hinata, or just Kitsune for short. Naming this Henge after Hinata was right, since it was based on her, but a lot of people would probably take it the wrong way." Naruto gave one of his normal smiles, but it was also transformed into one of Kitsune's very own.

"Why does she have seven tails?" Sakura just thought of that. He had had kept them together so they looked like one big floofy tail, but they split every now and then and she just noticed it.

Naruto looked at the tails and then at Sakura. He swished his tails around to hide most of his face and batted his eyes at her over a few of the tails while the others wrapped around his body.

"It was what I imagined Darling." Naruto stressed the last word and made his voice sound like a stereotypical old rich lady who was stating the obvious.

Hinata giggled and walked over to Naruto and started scratching him behind the ear.

"Such a good girl!" She cooed her words at him.

"Aw man... that feels really good." Naruto started leaning into her scratching and flicked the tips of his tails sharply with each scratch and squeezing his hands open and closed. Both girls laughed and Lee just decided to pet him.

"Very cute Kitsune." Lee couldn't help but fall in love with the soft fur. He liked fuzzy creatures.

Hinata didn't make a move, but Sakura could feel jealousy and an intent to harm radiating off her like it was her sole purpose in life. She didn't like someone looking at her Naruto that way. Or maybe it was because Naruto looked similar to her and she didn't like the idea of Lee looking that way when the object was her... Sakura wasn't sure.

"Okay guys, that's enough. We need to go ahead and figure out what we are going to do." Naruto came back in a poof of smoke and Hinata and Lee looked quite disappointed, though Hinata kept a wary eye on Lee.

"Okay, from what I've been able to tell, they seem to be a normal village. But the people seem to act wary around each other. But, it looks like we could just walk in without a problem. I'm only worried because Kakashi made it seem like they are fidgity around shinobi. What do you guys think." Sakura didn't know if they had been paying attention, but asking was the best way to find out.

"Ehm, I wasn't really paying attention yet. There was almost noone around at night during my watch." Naruto was getting bored.

"Likewise. I only saw a few patrols after Naruto went to bed. There was the occasional person but mostly, they looked like couples strolling to watch the night sky." Hinata thought about Naruto taking her on a stroll like that. She would have to keep that in mind when they returned.

"I saw workers coming out. It appears they are working desperately to rebuild the east section of the village. In the light yesterday and today, it appears as though they are cleaning up still, so it would appear to be recently destroyed. They are having trouble hauling everything around though. There aren't many middle-aged men in the village it seems. They appear to be older or still young. And I have seen a few women, but mostly, they don't seem to want to come outside." Lee paused a few moments.

"I don't know what happened, but many of them to seem to be scared of something. But the Lord's housing is in the northeast area." Lee didn't really have anything else to say. This down was depressing. Everyone moved slowly and without much enthusiasm for life.

"Well, Kakashi and Anko said to go ahead and go in as two teams, so I will go with Lee, Hinata and Naruto, you two will go in together. We'll act as two couples wanting to move into a new town because our last one was torn by a civil war. Do we wanna say, grass country?" Sakura waited and after getting no objections, she continued.

"Okay, we'll go to the lord as if wanting to move here, if stopped, and then find out what we are here for. Let's go. And go ahead and put your forehead protectors somewhere they won't be seen." They all headed towards the side of the village that was closest to grass country and then walked into the village.

--------------------

As they all walked into the village, they noticed that everyone gave them a lot of room. Noone tried to stop them, noone spoke to them or even looked directly at them.

"It's like they are all scared we are going to try and hurt them." Sakura whispered to noone in particular.

"Let's just get to the Lord's place and figure out what we are doing here." Lee fell back a few steps and paid as much attention to their surroundings as possible. This place made him just a bit on edge.

They moved quickly and with purpose to the Lord's mansion. They wanted to know what they were doing there.

As they moved through the village, Hinata could see absolutely no children anywhere. She saw them occasionally peek outside of windows, but there wasn't a one outside of the buildings. She was greatly disturbed by that. It was a decent day out. If children were around, but they didn't come outside, then either something horrible had happened, or was still happening.

They made their way through the village. They skirted around debris that was littering the grounds and past all of the burned and ruined houses to the Lord's mansion. Noone noticed the two jounin following within the shadows, following the four shinobi. Or the ones who would watch their progression through the village.

When the four got to the Lord's mansion, two samurai in semi-formal blue and red kimonos halted them.

"Hold! This is the Tear Village's Lord's mansion. Noone may enter without previous permission. Who are you and what is your purpose?" The samurai on the left slid his right foot back slightly and applied most of his weight to it. Hinata also noticed the bottom of a kimono behind the gates on either side where at least two more samurai were hiding out.

"Erm." Sakura hadn't thought about resistance. She could only briefly think about what their cover story had been when they were heading out.

Lee stepped foreward and spoke for them.

"We are looking to find a new village to call our own. Our village had been attacked and almost completely wiped out. A few of the people are all that was left, and we had all gotten split up. The village itself was overrun by bandits and we can't go back. This is the first village we came across, and it looked like we could possibly exchange our services in helping clean it up as allowance to set up here." He just kept looking between the samurai as he waited for them to speak.

"And what are the four of you to each other?" The samurai on the right asked the question, hoping to trip them up. He really didn't want to have to disturb the Lord again. Last time, he was not a very gentle person as of late.

Naruto spoke up first this time.

"Well Sir, Myself and Hinata here are betrothed, and Sakura and Lee are merely courting each other." Naruto indicated each person as he spoke their names and then flashed his usual grin with his hands both behind his head.

Hinata blushed when Naruto said they were betrothed. Not out of embarassment, just because she immediately though of how she would look in her wedding dress. Well, that... and her wedding _night_. She looked askance at Naruto and then down at the ground poking her fingers together in her usual habit.

Sakura's eyes bulged at the idea of _courting_ Rock Lee. Her face flushed so badly she thought she everyone could feel the heat coming out of her ears and face. Lee was simply smiling at looking at Sakura, which only made her blush with all the more entensity.

"Don't get any ideas Lee. Our relationship," Sakura almost choked on the word, "isn't nearly as far and theirs." She nearly growled the words, but the samurai thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

"HAHA! You guys are hilarious! Well, come on, we will see what the Lord thinks of you guys. Just be sure to be respectful. The samurai on the left laughed again as he stepped to the side and the ones inside the gate opened up.

The four shinobi followed a samurai through the charred remains of the courtyard. Much appeared to have been cleaned up, but it was obvious that there had been several fires throughout the yard here just as through the rest of the village. The mansion itself was relatively large for the size of the village and appeared no more than fifteen to twenty years old.

"Oi, what happened here? It looks like a battle happened here also." Naruto referenced a battle having happened in their past again to reinforce that they came from a place that had just been lost.

_"I wouldn't have thought Naruto would think to bring up the 'past' again._" Sakura was a little surprised at how Naruto was handling the whole situation. It is like he turned into a totally different person.

The samurai didn't respond, he just went inside and kept walking through the halls, leading them to where they were headed.

Naruto was getting restless. He didn't like keeping up the fasade for this long, he wasn't sure _how_ he planned on keeping it up for however long they had to stay there. And he didn't even know what they were there for yet anyway.

The samurai stopped before a large, wooden door and turned to the four following him.

"Listen up. The Lord has been in a fowl mood lately. You would do well to show absolutely no disrespect, or he may very well have us kill you. Also, these aren't the best of times. This village is just recovering after an attack. He has been quite preoccupied with that. Keep these things in mind if he isn't the most hospitable of hosts. Remember you are looking for sanctuary here. It is a choice, not an obligation." With that, he turned and put his hands on the doors' handles. "Stay here until called." And he went inside.

"What do you think guys? _Something_ bad obviously happened..." Sakura whispered as quickly as she could making sure not to be too loud.

"I am not sure Sakura, but I do feel you are accurate. Someone has taken the spark of life from these people and attempted to extinguish it." Lee took his normal speech back up. He was not happy about the situation.

"It's like they lost their wills to live." Hinata whispered her own thoughts and Naruto agreed with her with a small grunt.

"Well, we can see-" Naruto was cut off as the door creaked and then opened as the samurai came out.

"Alright, you may go in. He has requested to speak with you alone." The samurai was obviously put off by his superior's option, but didn't argue it in front of them, he merely walked off after shutting the door behind them.

---------------------------

The four shinobi walked deeper into the room. They were quite surprised at how lush everything was. It was all wood flooring with a deep shine in it's lacquer. There were gorgeous rugs throughout the room with some even hanging on the walls. An unlit fireplace against the far wall held a large portait of a regal looking man and woman looking at the observer with a small child between them who looked like he was running out of patience waiting for the portrait to be painted.

A man behind a large oak desk sat in his large chair looking them over as they entered.

"You are the four ninja from Konoha, yes?" The man's deep voice sounded like it was more a rumbling thunder than anything. He had wrinkles around his eyes where he smiled a lot. Sakura couldn't help but be reminded of Santa Claus when she saw the man's beard. It wasn't totally white, but it was about a hand's length long and looked really soft.

"We are Sir. I am Sakura. This is Hinata, Lee and Naruto." Each gave a small bow as their names were called. "We came on request of the fifth Hokage, Tsunade. We would like to get an update on what is going on and how you would like our help."

When the man motioned for them to sit, they did, giving their thanks.

"Well, Sakura was it? I am Enura Yorino. As you came up into the village, I am sure you noticed all the destruction? The small number of people that are still here are here only because they have nowhere else to go, or are simply unable to." Yorino closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with a sigh. "Allow me to start from the beginning."

"My family has actually been in the shinobi business for about two centuries. With my great grandfather, we ended the shinobi life after he found a village where there was no economical structure of any kind. They were practically wandering tradesmen. Several families and such that stuck together and roamed during their lives. They were under attack by a large group of bandits. He fought and killed them off, but he had been seriously wounded. He was, after all, only one man. He was good, but not good enough for that many. Anyway, they took him in and healed him in thanks, and he wound up liking them. He decided to stay because of that."

"Eventually, he talked them into forming a village. That would be this village. They decided he should lead them since he had knowledge in politics and had the strength to defend them, though he taught anyone who would want to learn, how to fight. Things were good. However, after I became lord, I had a son, who's mothed died during birth. And then, about three years ago, the trouble started."

Yorino sighed again. This was where it got difficult.

"My father and our family were very strong because we had a very strong bloodline. It is a bloodline of the mind. I have heard of a group in Konoha with some extent of a bloodline of the mind. Ours however, is much more highly advanced. It is actually so powerful, that, on occasion, one of the family members with the ability will become insane."

Sakura put her hand to her mouth. That was a very disturbing threat for a family. Living in constant fear of losing someone you love to insanity.

After a few moments, allowing them to take that much in, Yorino continued.

"It would seem, that my son, Kokoro, didn't have a strong enough mind to control his abilites. They slowly ate away at his mind. He became a monster. He, and a few others in this village got together with some bandits from the outlaying areas and they attacked the village. They attacked, destroyed and pillaged. All of the damage of this village that you saw was because of them."

"That's horrible." Hinata whispered her dislike of the situation. Her family was rough, but this was beyond horrible.

"Yes, but from there, Kokoro and his men have holed up somewhere. I attempted to find them, but wherever they are, they are not leaving any clues. I sent out search parties, but found nothing. We know they have a few eyes and ears here in the village, but we have no clue who they are at the moment. No matter what we do, we can't find them. So I then sent a messenger bird out to Konoha giving a brief summary of our issues, and what I would like done. I recieved instead, a representative stating they would like to take the mission, but that, under the circumstances, they would like to send regular ninja for my mission instead of those specially trained in information gathering. I was assured I would get some that are specially trained as well, but that they would be in the shadows, watching over you four. I must say, I am not thoroughly pleased, but they allowed me to drop my offer down by nearly a third, so I accepted."

Yorino looked each of them dead in the eye and spoke.

"Understand this, each of you. Any of Kokoro's men, you may get rid of, but Kokoro is mine. Your primary mission objective is only to find him. After that, you will keep tabs on him and get me immediately. I am going to be the one to get rid of this problem. I brought this evil into the world, and I will take it out as well. If it becomes impossible, do what you can to take him alive, but obviously I cannot ask you to trade your own lives for such a thing. So you may kill him, but only if absolutely necassary. I have set up for lodging for you already with a long-time friend who knows who you trully are. With him, your secret is safe. His name is Obi. You will maintain the identities you arrived with. I highly advise you play the parts. It would not be good if Kokoro find out that you are looking for him. I am not saying you cannot defeat him. I have no clue what your talents are, but he is quite powerful. And we don't know his eyes and ears. Be careful. You will probably be watched for being new if no other reason."

Yorino explained where they would have to go to get to their lodgings and sent them on their way.

"Again, remember. Only kill Kokoro if it becomes necassary."

After that, they all said their goodbyes and the group left for their new lodgings. After being led by a new samurai to the gate, they turned and headed to the west a bit to a small house. After knocking on the door and exchanging names and short pleasantries with a short man who led them to a smaller house next to the one they just knocked on.

"This house was abandoned by the family that lived here. It is only two rooms, but that should be perfect for your covers. It is still mostly furnished, though a few smaller items had been taken by some other familes still left in the village to replace whatever may have been lost during the attack."

Obi led them through the small house showing them everything they would need to know and where everything was. He led them around and told them where a few problems with the house were, but nothing was major. Thankfully, the house had survived most of the attack.

"Now, part of your covers, and a very efficient way to start talking with people around the village for information on Kokoro and his men. Since you are new, we are hoping that they will approach you to find out if you want to join them or not. They will probably wait a bit though to see what they can find out about you. At least, that IS what we are hoping for."

Obi looked around the house for a moment and then sighed. He missed the family that had lived here.

"Well, is there anything you will need for the next few days? Oh, and before you get worried, though it isn't much, we gave you a little food in your cabinets. That should last you two or three days until you can get your own."

After all the shinobi said they would be fine, Obi left saying to come to him if they needed anything.

---------------------

The four shinobi were about to put their things into their rooms when they realized that they were four, but there were only two rooms.

"Ehm, how should we set up the sleeping arrangements?" Naruto was trying to gauge how comfortable the couch would be, and how he would get it instead of Lee, when a poof of smoke shot up in the middle of the room between them all, shocking them into taking defensive positions.

When the smoke thinned, they could see Kakashi and Anko standing there looking at them with no short amount of amusement.

"My, my, my... I haven't made a group of people scatter like that since the last time I had some of Anko's chili." Kakashi flew to the ground as Anko bashed him upside his head.

"That will be the last time he says that one." Anko smiled on of her smiles that promised mirth and unhappiness.

"Not that we aren't thrilled you showed up, but why DID you show up? Aren't you supposed to be hiding in the shadows? Not be seen?" Naruto really wished they would make up their collective minds. Either they should show up or the shouldn't.

"Heh, Naruto has such pretty colors.." Kakashi was jolted back to reality when Anko gave him a swift kick in the butt.

"Hey, get up. You're embarassing yourself." Anko wanted to make sure he was awake and lucid for this part. "Listen guys, we just wanted you to know that we are here when you are. Also, we wanted to give you some last minute advice." She paused at Naruto's growl of disapproval.

"Now, now. Don't be that way. This is going to help you out, you know. That, and you will be watched, and if they find that your covers are false, then you will almost certainly fail in your mission, and possibly be ambushed by who knows how many enemies."

Anko noticed she had Naruto's attention there. "_Maybe he would have potential. Just maybe. But for now, probably not."_

"Ugh, listen to the Tormentor. We both agreed on this." Kakashi was still a little fuzzy. He wanted to go ahead and let her talk. _"She doesn't have to be so rough, everyone knew it was a joke!"_

"Don't mind Naruto Anko, Kakashi. His spirit burns with the fire of his youthful spirit! He will listen to what you have to say!" Lee was not enjoying being forced to speak like everyone else. Gai had told him to be watchful of how he spoke to anyone other than the other five with him. Otherwise, he would be too obvious and stand out too much, which could cause him to fail in his mission.

Tears streamed down Lee's face as he made a silent vow, yet again, to his brilliant teacher. _"Gai! I will prove to you that I can accomplish my mission! My spirit shall not dim, even in this darkened place!"_

Kakashi couldn't help himself. "Gai-clone, sit and listen." The small curve of his eye showed he was amused by Lee's adoration of being called a clone of Gai. Though, it could have been hiding his fear that they would turn out the same. Kakashi himself wasn't even sure.

"Listen. We know you will be watched, that is, in fact, what we are hoping for, just as Obi said. However, you must also be seen to be in your covers at all time. Since Naruto had the bright idea of saying he and Hinata were betrothed, whoever watches you guys may find it odd that at the _very_ least, you two don't share a room. "

Anko and Kakashi both laughed out loud after seeing Naruto's expression. They would have given anything to be able to do that more often. They couldn't tell if it was fear, shock, or both, that gave him the face. But they would prefer fear.

"And Lee and Sakura should share a room as well, though, if they got overly curious, seeing the two of you in different spots, bed and floor, wouldn't seem so out of the ordinary. Also, Lee. That brings up another point. Your strength is emense. You are permitted to only use a small fraction of your power. You cannot be seen to be a shinobi, or have the possability of it. Though, you can show yourself as a little stronger than most of those around as they are older men and out of their prime. Also, a little extra strength might mean they will come to you sooner rather than later."

Lee nodded his agreement, though he did seem a little saddened at being held back.

"Now, if I may, what is your plan from this point?" Kakashi looked at Sakura.

"Well, I was going to go over it with them after we got settled, but I was thinking that the boys would work to help clean up the village and rebuild so they could get to know some of the other men a little more. Hinata and I would probably clean up the house a little bit, partly for appearences, but also, this place is a little dirty from the battle, and also, we would go out and get some food and other miscellenous things we would need for probably a week's worth of time. In doing that, we could ask around for the places to shop at and spark some conversations with the women around. I would also recommend a Henge for Hinata's eyes, but I had also thought up a story we could use to explain them if a Henge would be too difficult for constant use." Sakura was looking at the ground below her feet, not sure if she would have thought it through all the way or not.

"Hm... That sounds relatively well thought out. Not bad Sakura." Anko looked at Hinata. "What about you? Do you have any other ideas you want to add in or anything you would like to address?"

"Not really. I hadn't thought about my eyes. I am used to people looking and being curious, but I had never really thought much about it for missions like these other than it would make it difficult. But everything else seems okay with me." Hinata looked over at the others and back to Anko.

"Alright then. I would say you have it relatively done then. Anko and I will be, most often, in the attic area of this house. We need a place to sleep as well you know."

"Oi, Kakashi. How did you know what Obi and what Yorino had told us?" Naruto didn't think they had enough time to be told what had happened from the time they were told to when they showed up in front of them.

"Anko was in the shadows listening in while he explained everything to you. From there, she told me." Kakashi shrugged. How else were they supposed to know? Read their minds?

"Oh. Well, that is a rather boring way." Anko fisted her hand and shook it at Naruto.

"Why you little-" She was stopped when Kakashi interrupted her.

"Naruto, from here on out, you won't see us or hear us. Just try to complete the mission and see what you can find out." And with that, both disappeared into smoke again.

"Bah, who needs 'em?" Naruto walked into the nearest bedroom and dropped his pack in it.

"Naruto, they are just trying to help us. Give them a LITTLE respect at least." Sakura couldn't believe how rude Naruto could be sometimes.

"I know, but still, I just don't like being given advice when I don't ask for it. It makes me feel like they don't think I am capable of doing my job." Naruto looked grumpy.

"Naruto, they are normal adults. They always feel they should give whatever advice they can stuff into you so that you know it. They never know when you will come to a point where they couldn't give you enough information or any information at all." Hinata wanted to let Naruto know it wasn't him that made them say those things, just that all adults are like that.

"Mn. Well, we should go ahead and get something for dinner and then get some sleep. We are going to have a lot to do tomorrow." Naruto yawned. He was oddly sleepy even though the sun was just beginning to go down. _"Maybe it was from sitting around all day, making me lazy._"

"YOSH! We cannot continue our missions on empty stomachs! TO THE KITCHEN!" And with that, Lee just disappeared. The other three looked at each other, hating Lee for his speed while envying him for it as well.

"Um.." They all turned towards the kitchen where a nervous Lee was standing.

"Um.. I forgot that I don't know how to cook."

The other three laughed until tears fell from their eyes.

-------------------------------

After they all ate, and a very happy Naruto had found plenty of Ramen stored in a lower cabinet, they all went to their rooms to sleep, again, each a little nervous of having to share a room.

Sakura was setting her pack down when Lee offered to take the floor at the side of the bed closest to the door.

"Well, you can't really do that.. I mean, you will be doing a lot of physical work tomorrow. You can't get nearly as recuperative sleep as if you slept on the bed. We can share the bed. We will just each take one side." Both blushed furiously as they got into the bed after changing into their sleeping clothes. Lee, of course being the gentleman he was, changed in the bathroom and stayed there until she said it was okay to come out again.

Sakura stayed awake, even after Lee's light breathing slowed and evened out. It just felt, different, sharing a bed with a boy. It felt, odd having the weight of another on the bed. Then she felt that weight shift as he snuggled up to her and draped his arm on her shoulder.

Sakura sighed. This didn't feel anywhere near as odd. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how it felt very comfortable having his warmth there next to her.

------------------------------

Inside, Hinata was absolutely thrilled to share a room with Naruto. Outside, she didn't want him to notice much of a difference. She still had to wait until after the mission before she let on to her feelings. She had a plan and she wanted to stick to it. Naruto had allowed her to change in their bedroom before he came in in his pajamas and his frog hat.

Naruto turned and looked at Hinata with eyes that dared her to talk bad about his froggy buddy.

"Hey, this frog has been with me for a long time! The frog has been long renowned as a warrior and protector of sleep you know!" Naruto turned his face away from her and pointed it up towards the ceiling in a mock gesture of disapproval.

"I'm sorry Naruto." Hinata pouted and cooed at Naruto as she spoke. "Froggums can protect us whenever he wants."

Hinata laughed when she saw Naruto's reaction to her name for his pet hat. His eyebrow twitched and he put his hands up in front of him as if in defense of an attack and his eyes were merely white circles, much like hers.

"N-no! We can't name him that!" Naruto actually liked the name more than he would let on, but there was no way he could let her know that. It was too.. fun... to fight it.

"Alright then, what would you name him?" Hinata sat and waited patiently as he put his hand to his chin and got a look of deep concentration on his face. Somehow, it didn't look normal. He usually came up with his ideas in a spur of the moment type thing, she had noticed. And that was when they were usually really quite good.

"Ummm. I've always called it Froggie Hat..." Naruto paused, but maintained his thoughtful expression. "But then, I have always been partial to Bob." Naruto moved only his eyes to see what Hinata would do, and when she face-faulted, he wasn't disappointed.

"HAHA! Just kidding Hinata! Froggums wouldn't be so bad, but I doubt I would call him anything. I don't normally talk to it." Naruto dodged a pillow as it flew at him and then flashed Hinata his biggest smile. She was fun to play around with.

Naruto picked up the pillow and tossed it at the head of the bed next to Hinata. Yawning, Naruto went over to the side of the bed and sat down.

"So, do you want me to use the sleeping bag and you can have the blankets?" Naruto was nervous enough sharing the room with a girl, but he had to share the _bed_ as well, and that was just far beyond anything he had to deal with growing up. Until Team Seven, he didn't spend much time with anyone other than Iruka, and only that when he was forced.

"Don't worry about it Naruto. We can both be adult about this. Let's just go to bed, wake up tomorrow, and begin our lives as betrothed." Hinata put her hand to her mouth and giggled at the last word.

"Hey.. what's so funny about being engaged to me?" Naruto pouted at Hinata, but the shine in his eye showed he knew she wasn't laughing at him.

Hinata pretended to think this time, feigning effort into trying to come up with something.

"Well, can you honestly see you holding _still_ long enough to get married?" The corner of Hinata's mouth twitched ever so slightly as she fought to keep in a smile.

"Yea.. true.." Naruto frowned just a bit and then smiled, not able to hold it any more. "Heh, for the right girl, I'd hold still. I am sure of it. Or I could just simply have Shikamaru hold me in his jutsu.."

Hinata laughed as loud as she dared, not wanting to disturb Lee and Sakura. She could believe Naruto would have Shikamaru do that very thing, Shikamaru mumbling "Troublesome" the entire time.

Hinata shoved Naruto down to his pillow and turned off the lights with a "Good night" and layed down.

"Good night to you too, Hinata." Naruto yawned and curled up to his pillow. He started a light snoring almost immediatly.

Hinata turned and looked at Naruto as he slept. She could see his face fully relaxed, and sleeping soundly, he just layed there with his chest rising and falling as he breathed. Hinata wanted nothing more than to reach over and stroke the whisker marks running across his face. She loved them. They were unique to him, and he had given them to her in his Henge.

"Good night, Naruto." Hinata whispered so the words were barely even strong enough to move the wind, but Naruto grunted almost as if he had heard her.

----------------------------

_Hinata was on the edge of a plateau in the middle of a huge desert of hard sand. It was like some large, dried-out lake bottom with cracks travelling everywhere. She had no way down from the top of the plateau, but she didn't really mind. She didn't want to leave. She was content here._

_The sky held no real color she could name. It was much like it was all colors while none. There was a slight wind and she could feel the energy of the world around her as a kind of vibrating force. She felt it through her and it made her ... happy._

_Hinata heard a sound from in the sky, so she looked up to see creatures that looked like lamprays from the ocean she had read about. Only these ones were nothing more than light, but there were many of them. They flew and rotated around each other and looked like they were... playing. They made noises of a strange tone to her ears. It sounded like a single note being played by each, they fell in pitch, making an almost haunting sound, but harmonized so beautifully, she didn't want to let them out of her sight or leave her ears._

_"They are magnificant, aren't they?" Naruto sat down beside her, his legs dangling over the side of the plateau. He layed back with his arms behind his head. Hinata layed down as well, her head resting in the crook of his arm, snuggling up against him._

_"What are they?" Her voice was still soft. It, too, harmonized with the creatures flying in the air._

_"Mm, I have always called them Iki Mitsukai, or spirit angels. They are just energy. The sound they emit is from when they move and interact with other energy, even each other. They also react in different ways to different energies. And since all things are energy, they react constantly to everything." Naruto was speaking gently, but Hinata wondered why he explained so much._

_"Why do we keep coming to these strange places? I mean, they are very beautiful, but, I don't understand. None of these places exist outside of my dreams. If I can't experience them in real life, what is the point in being able to experience them here? Where I can never trully reach them?" Hinata was beginning to tear. She wanted to actually experience this place with Naruto. She wanted _him_ to see these places._

_"Heh. Well, just as this place exists in your mind, and you believe it doesn't exist, does that mean that I don't exist, merely because I am here also? I am not the real Naruto, just as you are not the real Hinata. But here we are, together, and in this place." Naruto looked at her with a sad smile and continued._

_"All things exist in different ways. Just as the real you and the real Naruto exist in the waking world, so too, do these places and these creatures exist in the realm of dreams. Anything done here, is actually done, but it is an option towards which it only affects the dream us." Naruto looked back to the Iki Mitsukai and sighed. He let himself feel their energy flow through him._

_"I don't understand. You mean that, even though I feel like me, and have my own memories, this isn't actually me?" Hinata was thoroughly confused now. She thought she was herself._

_"Mm. Let me try to phrase it a different way. Again, remember this single fact. All things are energy. Each person has their own chakra, which is an energy, all animals, rocks, dirt, the whole world. We are all made up of this energy and because of that, just like the Iki Mitsukai, we interact whenever we come in contact with that energy. The you that is here, right now, is you, as you know you. The difference, or why I say you aren't the REAL you, is because here, you lack the physical attributes of the waking world, and you are not held back or hindered by anything what-so-ever. Here, you and I, are able to actually tap into whatever energy there is. It is, quite frankly, as limitless as the energy that exists. This is the world of dreams. A place where you can tap into that energy and can do, basically, whatever you want. All people are connected here because this is a nexus of all energies." Naruto braced himself on his elbows and looked directly at Hinata._

_"Basically, you can do whatever you want, because there is nothing to stop you except yourself. That is why you can do anything when you dream. Why you can be anywhere. You tap into this power just about nightly. And you pull me into it. Well, in a way. You create me each time. And I am created by the energies from wherever you take yourself. Otherwise, you would know more about this place than the real Naruto." Naruto, or who looked like Naruto anyway, looked back at the sky and closed his eyes._

_"You mean, Naruto never dreams?" Hinata couldn't think of anyone that didn't dream. Everyone dreamed._

_"No, of course he dreams. But his dreams aren't like this at all." Naruto looked back at her. "Would you like to see his dreams? I can show you how to Travel."_

_"I c-can see Naruto's dreams?" Hinata could see exactly what Naruto thought in the deepest parts of his mind. This was... something she had never even thought possible, but here was some spirit guide telling her he would show her._

_"Yes, but you would have to understand, you probably wouldn't have any control. Each person is like the boss of their own place. If you leave yours, you are subjected to his mind. You would be held in his dream until he woke up, unless he was willing to let you leave on your own." Naruto's voice sounded very firm. He wanted to make sure she understood what she would be risking._

_"Naruto would never hurt me. He would never hurt anyone. And I am sure he would let me leave if I wanted to." Hinata had no reason to believe otherwise._

_"Alright. But remember, these are his dreams after this. Anything that you see is his mind. From here, he will be in complete control unless he is willing to let you have any control over his Realm." And with that, Naruto explained what she would have to do._

_"Okay, I am ready. Show me for my first time, and then I will follow your orders from there." Hinata stood along with Naruto and they both reached out their hands and grasped the air, turning it like a knob with their chakra infusing into the world like she was told and a door opened to her, showing a brilliant blue-white light._

_"Alright Hinata, from this point, you will go into Naruto's Realm if you kept your target goal in mind. Be careful. You cannot be harmed or killed here, but you might remember it, just like a normal dream. So it could still hurt your mind." And with that, the Naruto turned into one of the Iki Mitsukai and flew off to play with it's friends._

_Hinata stood at the doorway for only a moment, before she stepped through. As soon as she did, her hand flew to her mouth as she screamed._

--------------------------

Next chapter should show up in a few days. I already know what the next one should hold. Tell me what you guys think so far? And yes, this too, has purpose.

I have to admit, I did a more than poor job explaining the dream world and it's function in the waking world, but .. not a WHOLE lot I can do about it. I actually think in picture and emotion, so it is a bit difficult for me to translate much of what I think into words.

And the descriptions for the dream worlds, just for a question posed to me via E-mail (next time, please leave a name . ), came from my own dreams. Just.. less naughty things happening in them, lol.

Anyway, Ch4 will be coming out in probably two or three days unless something comes up, but I will definitely update once a week unless something serious happens. But that isn't too likely.


	4. Dreams and Kyuubi

Author's Note - Heya! I enjoyed the length of my first chapter, and, just as several of you have stated, the length of the two and three were... disappointing. Therefore, I shall make this one lengthy!

Oh, and can someone PLEASE tell me how you are finding my story? I have checked for my story by searching for it, but I cannot find it! But I have had over 5000 hits! (Which brings me to one other point.. less than 1 in every hundred or so are leaving comments. I hate to beg for it, but reviews DO give me an idea as to what people want in the story. I obviously won't take every idea given, a few already given are quite horrible. But some are halfway decent, though most of them I already plan on, just further into the story. So please feel free to review. And if you ask questions, I am quite likely to answer them.)

So, that means that, if anyone wants to see something happen (nothing huge, but certain, small things,) then it would be a good idea to review . If you leave a review, I get an idea of what you want.

Sorry this update took so long. I was forced into doing other things, but it shouldn't happen often. The only thing to worry about right now is mandatory overtime at my job angry eyes.

-----------------------------------

PREVIOUSLY

_"Alright Hinata, from this point, you will go into Naruto's Realm if you kept your target goal in mind. Be careful. You cannot be harmed or killed here, but you might remember it, just like a normal dream. So it could still hurt your mind." And with that, the Naruto turned into one of the Iki Mitsukai and flew off to play with it's friends._

_Hinata stood at the doorway for only a moment, before she stepped through. As soon as she did, her hand flew to her mouth as she screamed._

_-----------------------------------_

_Hinata just stood still, unable to move. This was anything beyond her most horrible nightmares. _

_In front of her, outside the light of her doorway to her own dreams, she saw a dark forest that was so thick, you couldn't see past a few paces into it. There was a very thick mist rolling quickly throughout the trees and the branches waved and moved mercilessly through the air as if alive, though there was absolutely no wind._

_It was nighttime in Naruto's dream, but there were no stars behind the clouds in the sky and the full moon shone a dark red-orange, casting red light onto everything visible. None of this, however, was what made Hinata want to scream. It was what her vision was stuck on that was so horrid._

_Hinata saw a young version on Naruto, his clothes tattered and torn, his skin ripped, cut and bruised. He was running for his life, panting and tripping over vines and upturned roots. A large mob of villagers, even some shinobi, all armed with some form of weapon, were chasing Naruto down, yelling insult after insult as they chased him down and came threateningly close to actually hitting him with their weapons._

_Some of the shinobi threw shuriken and kunai at him, making Naruto scream out in pain as they made their marks. It was only some force of luck that kept them from hitting vital areas, most of them only slicing deep into his skin. The clothes that were left on his body were nothing bed soaked rags that loosely covered his body by this point._

_Naruto was running, and panting so hard that Hinata could still hear him from where she stood, along with his crashing through the forest, breaking branches and twigs, crying out in pain each time anything caught on his broken skin._

_"DEMON! YOU WILL PAY FOR ALL THE MISERY YOU BROUGHT UPON US!" One of the villagers threw a fist-sized rock at Naruto, glancing it off his shoulder, making him cry out and fall into the trunk of a tree._

_The villagers and shinobi were on him almost instantly, kicking, stabbing, punching, yelling their insults and cheering each other on. _

_Hinata heard a crack and a scream that made her lose hope in all things of life. It made her feel desperate and trapped even when she wasn't the one doing the screaming. She had had enough._

_Hinata took one step into Naruto's dream, and as her hand left the light of her doorway, she felt as though she had stepped from the light of the sun and its warmth into some frozen tundra. She instinctively drew back and comforted the pain of her frozen skin. She couldn't think of a way to get to Naruto without freezing solid. She could barely bend her fingers._

_**"A wise move child."** Hinata became even more cold than Naruto's dream air had made her. A deep rumbling from beside her made her entire body tremble in the vibrations of the voice alone. She turned to the voice, unsure what to expect. What she saw scared her only slightly less than Naruto's plight._

_She turned and saw a large, red fox standing slightly higher than she was, facing the carnage in front of them, his hackles rose and his fangs bared. His nine tails stuck straight out and puffed. He flew as a red blur over to the attackers and turned his body as he hit the ground right next to them. As he spun, his tails hit the massive group of people over Naruto, knocking them into the air and into trees all around, breaking their bodies as they hit._

_The fox turned back to a battered and bloody mess. His body glowed a brilliant red and he set his chakra over Naruto's limp form, giving more flame to the spark of life barely existant in the boy._

_Hinata watched amazed as the red fox took out the whole number of shinobi and villagers to protect her Naruto when she couldn't do anything. Her eyes watered as she realized she was about to let him get hurt, no.. he would have died, if the fox hadn't shown up. _

_She watched as the fox healed Naruto's body and, ever so gently, lifted him with his tails, cuddling him in them gently._

_The fox looked at Hinata and cocked his head to the side, considering._

_**"You can come in now, Hinata. His dreamscape will not harm you now."** With that, he turned and walked away slowly, keeping Naruto in his tails held to the side of his body rather than behind him._

_Hinata very slowly put her hand out of the light of her doorway and realized he was right. The air was still frigid, but not so much so that it tried to freeze her immediately. She looked back through her door only a moment, getting a last glimpse of her only chance to leave, and what her dreams held, and then followed quickly after the red fox that just saved her Naruto where she couldn't._

_"Where are we going.. uh.." Hinata stumbled over the words, hoping the fox would give her a name to use._

_**"My name is not important. What matters right now, is that you are here, but should not be. "** The fox led her deeper into the forest where it was getting darker and darker. The only reason she could move around was from the light coming off the fox. She supposed she could use her eyes, but she didn't really want to try. Not with the amount of chakra coming off the fox. She worried she would be blinded by the intensity._

_"I-I am sorry. I came here-" Hinata stopped as one of the tails flicked towards her. She didn't think the fox would hurt her, but she was not about to test the theory._

_**"To be honest, I don't care why you are here. I care more for the kit than anything as of now."** Kyuubi braced the tail against Naruto again and continued off. He knew who the girl was. He could see her through the eyes of his host. How the runt could never see what he meant to her, he would never know. But how she got there... THAT was something he was quite interested in. _

_Hinata was following blindly. She could see where she was going, it wasn't the same kind of blind, but she didn't know where she was going and was following a beast that she had seen could very easily kill her with only one of those tails that could reach her at half it's length._

_"Um, so, I can think of reasons I shouldn't be here. I mean, it is kind of like I am invading the privacy of his mind, but, I also know why I did come. And why would his dream, er, dream_scape_ as you called it, want to hurt me when my goal was to get them away from him? Also, how did you know my name?" Hinata was in way over her head here, and she knew it. But she really needed to know what was going on._

_**"I know you, because Naruto knows you. Think of me as the voice of attack and power within him. I am a part of him. I see what he sees. Well..."** Kyuubi looked at her with what Hinata could only assume was a cat-like version of a grin, **"Well... I perhaps see MORE than he does. How he has been blind to your desire for him for so long..."** Kyuubi shook his head to loosten his fur as Hinata looked down at the ground as she smiled, though she was still embarassed._

_**"As for a dreamscape, the reason I call it that is because it is a landscape, molded by the dreamer's mind. A dreamscape. But it tried to hurt you because you aren't a part of it. What you are doing isn't something that should be able to be done. You basically ripped a hole from your dream into his. That it shouldn't, almost CAN'T be done is one thing, but with Naruto, it should have been even more difficult."** Kyuubi took Naruto and Hinata into a small cave. Their target was a small bed of soft leaves and moss to lay Naruto on._

_Hinata looked around the cave, feeling something very... familiar, with it. The walls of the cave glowed a soft blue, pulsing with a soft beating sound, much like a heart. The inside of the cave was very warm, but incredibly comforting._

_"Why?" After a small pause, Hinata clarified. "I mean, why shouldn't it be just the same with him as anyone else? And," Hinata paused, a little frustration creeping into her voice, "why doesn't he wake up? This is a dream. Whatever happens here doesn't actually happen, right? And why is he so small, and what is with what was happening out there?" _

_Hinata began to tear a little, not understanding anything that was going on. This was too much, too fast._

_Kyuubi sighed, a deep, rumbling sound. He knew this girl was smart. He could see intelligence within her eyes. But where do you start with someone who's mind wasn't nearly as advanced?_

_**"Sit, Hinata. We have a bit to talk about while we can."** Kyuubi set Naruto down as gently as possible, knowing his body would still be sore._

_"What do you mean 'while we can'? Is something going to happen?" Hinata did NOT like the sound of those words. They just didn't bode well._

_**"Calm down. It is nothing bad really. The dream world is quite different from the waking world. Time in the waking world flows steady and is rigid. It is like a giant pillar of unbreakable crystal. It cannot be bent or twisted. Time in the world of dreams, however, is more like a stream or river. It flows, swirls and can be directed and redirected at will. Naruto is small like this, because he was having a nightmare of his past. Not a dream. But don't worry, he is perfectly fine, and will recover soon."** Kyuubi made sure to stress the word 'nightmare'. Not much, but enough to make her realize he said it rather than 'dream'._

_"So, if that was of his past, does that mean it actually happened?" Hinata did not even want to _think_ about what it would mean if it had actually happened. She did not want to think that people would actually chase down a child, attacking him and beating him like that._

_**"It never happened like that. He usually got away, and I was never there for when he didn't."** Kyuubi was watching Naruto as he spoke. He had learned to respect the runt. After going through events like that for so long... after being alone his entire life, after never hearing an encouraging remark for the first several years of his life, after being told, so many times, he would be killed for being who he was, he held to his beliefs and convictions. A demon would have only turned on them after this long. Well, they would have if destroying them wasn't their first goal anyway..._

_**"But the point is that he is what he dreams. If he dreams of himself as a child, he will be such. If he wants to dream himself an adult, he will do so. Usually though, what you saw are his dreams. But they usually end up with the runt becoming Hokage, doing impossible jutsu, and endless supplies of ramen."**_

_By the end of Kyuubi's words, Hinata had a small smile on her face, and even gave a short laugh when he mentioned ramen. That was too Naruto._

_"Okay then. So why should I not have been able to come into Naruto's dreams? Or rather, why Naruto specifically, would have been so much more difficult than others?" Hinata didn't want to forget about that. It seemed.. important._

_**"That, I am afraid, is something I would only allow Naruto to tell you. It is his choice."** Kyuubi knew what could happen if the wrong people found out about Naruto. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he has come to care for the kid. But he could always use the excuse that if Naruto died, so too, did the Kyuubi._

_"Okay. I can live with that." Hinata looked at the small Naruto. He was much like his sleeping form. Just laying there, eyes closed gently, breathing gently. He still had a slight snore to his breathing too. He would still be Naruto, no matter what. She bent down and moved his hair a little away from his face, and looked over his body where the cuts had been, now nothing more than red marks._

_Kyuubi stood and split his tails from under Naruto and shook to loosen his fur again, but causing Hinata to look at him. As she watched his chakra flared again and swirled around him. Hinata wasn't worried this time, she saw how he was looking at Naruto. He wouldn't cause any harm to him, and as for herself, she just kept remembering that this wasn't real. She stopped worrying and watched in no small amount of surprise and wonder as Kyuubi began to shrink as he stretched. Where he started out taller than Hinata, he was about waist high now and still shrinking. Hinata's eyes simply got larger as he became about as large as a larger kitten._

_"CH-CHIBI!" Hinata pointed and stood straight up. He was cute, but he was so SMALL now._

_Kyuubi growled lightly and ruffled his fur. He knew he was what humans considered _cute_ now, but that didn't mean she had to look at him like that. He still had at least a LITTLE self-respect._

_"Hey kid, don't get any ideas! I'm still just as lethal and ferocious as I was befo-OOMPH!" Kyuubi could say anymore. He was being smothered under Hinata's chin as she picked him up, and not very gently he realized, and squeezed him a little too hard and started scratching him under his chin._

_"ACK! Hey runt! Don't... uh.. don't... yea... scratch behind my ear! Ohhhh yea!" Kyuubi's ranting ceased as he fell victim to the oldest trick in the feline book. He began purring so hard that Hinata's arms shook._

_"You're so CUTE! And your voice isn't so deep either! Now its higher and a little squeeky!" Hinata scratched him on his head, his back and under his chin again. She always had been a cat person. She felt more at peace with them. She had played with Akamaru when Kiba would let her, but he was just too much energy. Cats were reserved, gentle and quiet, much like her._

_"Uhng! Okay! Enough!" Kyuubi loved the scratching, but his own purring was going to make him physically sick if he didn't end it soon. _

_After Hinata stopped scratching, he perched himself on her shoulder and snuggled his body up against her neck and used his tails around her neck as a brace. He made sure to only keep his tails in a "C" shape after smelling her fear when he began wrapping it around her neck._

_"The runt will be waking up soon. It doesn't usually take him long to recover from the nightmares like that. Also, you should remember that when he DOES wake up, you will be pulled into his dream and become a part of it, whether you would normally be there or not. Your presence here is going to be used by him as a way of making him believe you should be here by making you an actual part of it." Kyuubi had begun to stretch on Hinata's shoulder as he spoke. It wasn't often he got to feel someone other than the Kit anymore._

_"I don't understand. If he is already sleeping, then how can he be asleep in here?" Hinata had just realized that Naruto was already sleeping. Why would his sleeping mind need to sleep? She couldn't think of a reason._

_"Mm. Well, this is his sleeping mind. But after such a horrible dream for him, his mind needed to cope a bit. So he went into a much deeper sleep. This is the time where he would be so deep in sleep that he normally wouldn't be dreaming. His mind just ... cycles through everything and deals with whatever he goes through."_

_"Oh." Hinata thought she understood. But she didn't want to bother trying to figure it out. It was beginning to make her head hurt with all the new information she had been getting._

_"Why did you come?" Kyuubi whispered his words. He knew she heard him because she turned her head slightly to see him out of the corner of her eye._

_"You mean into his dream?" _

_Kyuubi simply nodded._

_"Well, I was in my own dream. I was in a desert-like place with these energy thingies flying around riding other energy and Naruto, well, he said he was just my dream that I made look like Naruto, but he explained a few things about the dream world versus the waking world. He then explained that I could go between different dreams."_

_Hinata stopped and looked at the fuzzy lump of fur on her shoulder to see what he might have to say. All she saw, however, was him laying there watching her, so she continued._

_"Well, he explained how I could get into Naruto's dream and I came over here..." She paused again._

_"That is the how you got over here. You still have yet to say why, though." Kyuubi was getting upset with the girl. She seemed to be a decent human, but he really didn't like not being answered._

_Hinata hung her head slightly. She knew she why she came over, but wasn't sure how to tell it to the fox on her shoulder._

_"Well...I had always been watching Naruto. When I first saw him, he had just been beaten by a few people when we were signing up for the Academy. He had been beaten really bad, but I couldn't walk over to him. I was really shocked to see him like that. But then he got up, his wounds were healing as I watched, and he spoke. There was noone but us there, and he didn't even know I was standing behind a tree watching him, but he said that he would show them he wasn't weak, that he would become strong and they would look up to him."_

_Hinata laughed lightly as her memories came flooding to her. She looked at the Naruto laying on the ground. She could never not love him._

_"But it wasn't his words that caught me. It was his eyes. I saw this... fierce determination. I would always see that in his eyes. Even though he would always have this mask on, his eyes always showed this ferocious spirit that I couldn't help but love. But I was always hiding behind trees, and always too scared to speak to him, to let him know that, of all the things he wanted in life, I wanted to acknowledge him. But, always, I had this fear. Most of the time, I just feinted." Hinata spoke the last with no small amount of mirth. She couldn't believe she would always do that._

_Kyuubi just listened. So far, it was everything he knew. He was always aware of her presence, even if the brat wasn't. The only things new to him were her feelings and thoughts. He could always tell she had something close to those feelings from the way she would look at him and hold herself. But they weren't confirmed until now. She continued, so he listened rather than continued his own musings._

_"When I was in my dream, the Naruto said I could come visit Naruto in his own dreams, and I couldn't help but think that, of all the things my dreams could give me, this was the best. I knew it was, in a way, like invading his privacy, or maybe raping his mind. I thought of all these things, and I wasn't sure if I should, but then, I realized, I didn't really care. I want Naruto to be mine. I will do anything for him. I wanted to see if I could find out what he would think if I tried..." Hinata's voice drifted away while speaking the last sentence. She had started thinking to herself._

_Kyuubi was completely confused. This wasn't like the same girl he had seen all those times. She was different. Very different._

_"Child, I don't know what has happened, but I don't think that you would have done this once. I can't say I approve of your coming into Naruto's mind, but that is only because I am here. What happened to make you change?" Kyuubi actually began to like the girl. She spoke of Naruto with the determination he felt for his own goals._

_Hinata looked outside the cave. This was embarrassing._

_"Well, we have this friend. Her name is Ino... she developed this new jutsu and uh... well... she took away my inhibitions when I am around Naruto. When it comes to him, I will just do what I want." Hinata started toeing the ground._

_Kyuubi was astounded. A human, a HUMAN, and figured out how to manipulate the core of a person's mind. That wasn't good. Tampering with a mind like that... it had devastating affects._

_"Child, this is very important. What exactly did this Ino change and how?" Kyuubi hoped he didn't come off sounded worried, but if she was altered, and she could dreamwalk... "**Please let me be wrong about this one..."** Kyuubi was, for the first time in quite a while, frightened._

_"Huh? Well, I don't exactly remember what she said she did..." Hinata paused and her brow drew down as she thought about what exactly Ino had told her._

_"Well, I think she said that she went in and made something like a .. fake memory. She said that it would overpower whatever she put it towards and make my inhibitions not actually go away, but be covered up in my mind by what she put there. It was basically a command that said that, when it came to Naruto, make him mine."_

_Kyuubi was beginning to wonder why she spoke in such a possesive tone. He liked it, but that was his demonic side. The part that had begun turning more human thanks to Naruto, however, was fearing for them all. But, if it was just her actions towards Naruto, then maybe it wouldn't be bad.. or at least not as much..._

_"So, then only happens for when you are around Naruto?"_

_"Yes. I am mostly back to my normal self when he isn't around." Hinata looked at Kyuubi, these were quick questions._

_"Why are you asking these questions so quickly?"_

_Kyuubi was again shocked by the girl. She caught on much quicker than Naruto._

_"Hinata, what was done to you is very a da-" Kyuubi was cut off as the whole world shifted._

_Hinata looked around and saw the outside by the entrance to the cave change from a wind-scarred forest to the outside of Konoha. The whole cave began to shift afterwards. It formed around them into a medium-sized bedroom with a window where the cave entrance had been, the sunlight from outside shining brightly into the room now, slightly blocked by the Hokage monument.. There was a bed, with no headboard, that formed around Naruto, and his froggie hat popped onto his head. A single table phased into existance next to the bed with a small box with a huge, fluffy pillow in it. Kyuubi squeeked and hopped onto the pillow, pulling at it with his claws and settling down. Hinata felt tingling all over her body as she looked down to see her clothes changed from her usual coat and clothes into an incredibly soft pajama set._

_Naruto shifted in his bed and then sat up yawning. He looked around the room, seeing everything as it should be. He looked at the figure standing there in front of him in her pajamas and smiled. Everything was as it should be._

_"Good morning Hinata! You're up early today." Naruto flashed his usual grin and put his hand behind his head as he leaned back against the wall._

_Hinata felt herself losing control. She was being moved, manipulated, against her will as his dream overtook her. She briefly remembered being told this would happen before she lost all ability to function on her own. She was merely a spectator as Naruto's dream commanded her as a whole. She loved every minute of it._

_Hinata walked over to Naruto and purred into his ear, bit him on his neck gently, and then kissed it to soothe the slight pain she wanted him to feel._

_Naruto winced slightly as she bit him, but he knew he would always enjoy it._

_Naruto wrapped his arm around Hinata's waist and pulled her into the bed, onto his lap with him against her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck wetly and then blew on it to make her shiver._

_"Mmm. Naruto.." Hinata closed her eyes and let Naruto caress her. _

_His hands flowed from her shoulders down her arms to her hands and spun something on her finger. _

_"I am going to give you the world, Hinata." Naruto brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the thing on her finger lightly._

_Hinata opened her eyes at his words and looked to her finger to see what he had kissed, and smiled. On her finger was a gold ring with the Hyuuga flame in silver, and at it's base, where normally it would just finish the teardrop shape, it formed into the Uzumaki swirl, made out of a blood-red stone. Hinata didn't know what was going on, but that ring was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and her dream self told her it was their engagement ring._

_"_WE'RE ENGAGED? HELL YA!"_ Hinata knew she couldn't make any control of her body actually happen, but she was definitely happy. Naruto was dreaming about being engaged to her. It was awesome. She wanted to know what was going on, but she didn't think she could break free of Naruto's grip._

_"I have a surprise for you Hinata." Naruto whispered in her ear as he hugged her close. He could smell the shampoo she used. It drove him wild. "Let's get you ready."_

_Naruto picked up a laughing Hinata and walked out of the room into the bathroom. He set her on the counter with a firm "stay" as he turned to start the shower. After the steam had begun rising, he turned and walked towards Hinata like he was stalking his prey, which in a way, he was. Once he got to her, her pressed his lips lightly against hers and slid her pajama top off. He then kissed down her jaw, her neck and to her collarbone. _

_"N-Naruto." Hinata breathed his name out making Naruto growl into her through. Hinata put both hands on the back of his head and pulled him into her._

_Naruto lifted her up and pulled her pants off and set her back down on the counter._

_"COLD!" Hinata squeeked and grasped Naruto's hair roughly. He growled his approval._

_Hinata had enough. She shredded his clothes off him and Naruto carried them into the shower._

_As soon as they got into the shower, Naruto set Hinata down so she could stand on her own and they washed up quickly, taking care of each others' backs. But when Hinata was lathering up her hair, she felt Naruto press up against her backside, his arousal pressing against her ass._

_"N-Naruto." Hinata said his name, willing what she wanted to say underneath it. He understood. Hinata looked towards the floor of the shower and let Naruto continue his minstrations on her body. She felt his hands sliding over her body, slickened by the water. All she could do was breathe deeply and begin to moan as his hands found their way to her breasts, gently twisted and pinching her nipples. She felt his mouth sucking on her neck again._

_Naruto bit her neck hard, causing her to give a low cry mixed with a moan. She liked when he bit her. He was marking her as his. He slid his right hand down in lazy circles over her toned stomach, going down to her waist. He cupped her in his hand and they both growled as he squeezed once and then began to rub his fingers around her opening, sliding easily with the water and her own natural juices._

_Hinata inhaled sharply as Naruto slid one finger just barely into her, up and down, getting her started. Naruto went in a little deeper with his finger, this time, barely grazing the little nub he found there. Once he touched it, Hinata took her hand and pressed his hand as hard as she could against her and moaned again. He began to rub his fingers in circles around her clit and focused his attention on the area just above it, only occasionally rubbing over the nub._

_Hinata was losing all ability to think. Both the real Hinata and the dream Hinata were losing themselves under Naruto's touch. She rubbed herself against Naruto's arousal, sliding on it and hoping to make him overcome his convictions. The dream Hinata knew he would never take this all the way until they were actually married. He didn't want to risk any problems with her father, but she was still going to try._

_Naruto was beginning to do more than he planned. Feeling Hinata's perfect ass slide against his erection was sending him over the edge, but he wouldn't do that. Not when her father could still cause trouble._

_Hinata felt a searing heat growing rapidly in her chest. She didn't know what was going on. This was all new, all totally different from everything she had, as of yet, learned about. Dream Hinata, however, knew exactly what it was, and Hinata knew, because of that, she was going to _love_ what happened next._

_"Nngh! Na-N-NARUTOOOOOO!" Hinata felt a different moisture on the inside of her thighs, gushing down and out of her. Her entire body convulsed and shook. She couldn't even hold herself up, she was only still on her legs because Naruto still had his arms around her, holding her up. Dream Hinata was content, knowing nothing more would happen right now, but real Hinata far from happy. She fought for her control while dream Hinata was weakened from her release, and succeeded._

_Naruto was surprised to see Hinata rise and turn to him, an almost frightening smile on her face. She pressed her body against his in a deep kiss, letting him feel her whole body._

_"Hehe. Hinata, you've never done this before. You know we can't risk your fa-" Naruto was forced to stop talking as Hinata grabbed him and started to stroke him up and down._

_"I want more." Hinata's voice was deeper than usual, and held absolute authority. She could feel Naruto shudder underneath her._

_"We can't Hinata." Naruto, quite sadly, pushed Hinata off of him._

_"I'm sorry Hinata, but I don't want to risk anything with your father. You know how he gets. He made sure we promised not to until after the wedding. It was his only stipulation to make your family agree." Naruto was definitely not happy, but he wouldn't risk being without her._

_Hinata was shocked. Her father wouldn't allow this in the real world. He would believe it to be some horrible travesty. That wasn't why she stopped though. It was because either Naruto, or the dream Hinata, regained control. With a final kiss, Naruto turned off the water. He reached out and grabbed a towel to wrap around Hinata and rubbed her furiously, not letting her turn cold after getting out._

_After getting dressed, they sat down to a breakfast, of all things, bacon and eggs. Dream Hinata knew that she had made a compromise with Naruto about eating more than only ramen, real Hinata was shocked as hell._

_Hinata tried getting control of her body again. She wanted to try and talk to Naruto, but without control, she couldn't ask anything. She kept trying to take over, but all she could do was scream, and not be heard._

_"I was thinking that we should try and find a planner for the wedding. With my acceptance ceremony to become Hokage, I don't think we will have enough time for it all." Naruto gave her a mischevious smile. "Maybe you would like to see if TenTen or Sakura would like to help you instead though?"_

_"Mm, well.. the truth is, they are already helping. But not with anything major, just helping in floral and food choices. You gave me free reign, so I went with it. Is that okay?" Hinata pushed out her bottom lip and looked through her eyelashes at him. It always worked._

_"HAHA! No fair!" Naruto was laughing with the fun until Kyuubi walked over to him and pawed his leg. Naruto handed him his last two pieces of bacon. "You should just learn to forage.." Naruto heard him growl back as he walked off to his bed with his prize._

_"You go and speak with Tsunade, you're already running a few minutes late anyway." Hinata grabbed Naruto's plate as he jumped up with a yell and was out the door before she had fully turned away from the table._

_"That was lucky."_

_Hinata turned towards the voice behind her. All she saw was the table and the rest of the kitchen as it was a moment ago._

_"Who was that?" Hinata activated her Byakugan and focused on the fuzzy lump that jumped on the table looking for more bacon._

_"Well you don't have to be so surprised." Kyuubi looked at her and sat down. "Will you make me some more of that bacon? I would just do it myself, but I don't have thumbs."_

_Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and put the plate she was holding on the counter. Then she realized she had control over her actions again._

_"Hey, I can't do what I want again!"_

_"Of course you can. Without Naruto here to maintain his hold, there is almost no resistance. If he were still here, anything you did on your own would seem out of the ordinary, and his mind would automatically compensate by taking control over you again. Can you make more bacon?" Kyuubi was getting frustrated. He learned he liked this bacon._

_"Bacon? Why do you want bacon?" _

"This lump of fur has a single track mind!"_ Hinata couldn't believe he would be thinking about food._

_"Yes, bacon. Thin strips of meat, slightly salty, a little crispy and even crunchy, heart-clogging greatness that melts in your mouth. Bacon."_

_Hinata would have laughed if he didn't just sit there, looking at her expectantly._

_"There are still a few pieces of bacon on my plate. You ca-"_

_"Already ate them. I want more." She wasn't making the bacon yet._

_"Mangy little furball" Hinata mumbled her disapproval but tossed a few pieces onto a pan._

_"Hey, what was that? More." He jerked his head back at her glare._

_"Eh, please. More _please._" _"Maybe I shouldn't piss her off. Especially when she is actually making the bacon..."

_Hinata glared at the fox for a few extra seconds before filling the pan up with bacon, along with a very happy grunt from Kyuubi._

_"So what exactly was lucky?"_

_"Oh, well. He almost let you have control. Th-"_

_"Why was his not letting me have control a good thing?" _

_"Well, if you would let me talk, I would be telling you right now. Is the bacon done?" At her glare he continued. _

_"Well, there are several reasons, but I will go with the more pertinent ones for now. You cannot let him tell you anything in here."_

_"Why? What is different here from the real world?" Hinata just didn't understand that. Telling here or there would be the same thing._

_"Because he has no inhibitions here. He would tell you something when you haven't actually gained his trust to the right to be told it. If he wants you to know something, then he will tell you. But trust me... the things you wanted to ask him, you cannot be told here. You must gain that in the outside world... Is it bacon yet?" Kyuubi let out a hopeful squeek in hopes it would help his case. Girls loved cute things. He just hoped he played the part well._

_"I suppose that makes sense. And calm down, it will be about a minute and a half. I just flipped them you little fluffball."_

_Kyuubi just thought of something that didn't make sense._

_"Why are you so different right now? You aren't around Naruto right now and yet, you still act like you haven't got a single inhibition. Why?"_

_Hinata stopped and thought a moment. He was right. She tried to think of where the confidence was coming from, but could only think of two possabilities._

_"Well, since I am in a dream world, either it is because Naruto is next to me in bed, or that they it is becoming my normal attitude. Other than that, I have no clue."_

_Hinata dumped the pan's contents onto Naruto's old plate and set it on the table._

_"Its bacon."_

_Kyuubi let out a loud cry and immediately took a bit of the treat and promptly burned his tongue._

_"AIEEE! You did that on purpose!" He let out a growl to prove his point as Hinata laughed at him._

_"Its going to be hot doofus! Give it a few moments to cool. And no need to say 'Thank you'." Hinata said the last with plenty of sarcasm to emphasize her point._

_"Oh, good then." Kyuubi checked the bacon and found it to be bearable and promptly feasted as Hinata again glared at him._

_When Kyuubi finished, he cleaned his whiskers of any left over greases and looked into the distance._

_"Hinata?"_

_Hinata was cleaning Naruto's dishes, trying to decide what she should do, when Kyuubi spoke._

_"Huh? What's the matter?"_

_"Could Naruto do or .. be anything, that would make you fear or hate him?" _

_Hinata noticed the slight pause but left it alone. He was speaking just a bit lower than normal, and it made her wonder what was going on. She still wanted to find out exactly how he fit into Naruto's dreams and mind. He knew too much and had too much freedom._

_"I would never, and COULD never hate or fear Naruto! He is everything I admire, so he cannot 'BE' anything other than Naruto anyway. As for what he could do... I am sure he could DO some things I may not be thrilled about, but nothing to fear or hate him. Killing, as a shinobi, I can live with. But Naruto is Naruto. And will always be Naruto." Hinata looked at Kyuubi a moment, noting he was still staring at nothing. "Why did you wnat to ask that?"_

_Kyuubi took a moment, but he looked at her then._

_"I am not a good spirit, but the run HAS grown on me. I just wanted to know if he could be happy."_

_Hinata didn't know what to say. She sat next to him and scratched him behind his ear, eliciting a growl from him and then purring. He seemed too sad while he spoke. She wanted to know what was wrong, but she realized she would figure it out when Naruto talked to her._

_"You should go now."_

_"Huh? Go where?"_

_"Well, Naruto is going to wake up soon. While you have control, I would suggest going back while you can. And I highly advise you to not come back unless you feel it is of high importance. This could be quite harmful to Naruto."_

_"I didn't think it could be harmful, how? I wasn't told about that." Hinata suddenly became very worried. She didn't want to hurt Naruto. That was among the worst things she could think of._

_"Well, normally, doing something like this wouldn't harm them exactly, but in Naruto's case, you can find information about him that could harm him emotionally. He has secrets that should never be known unless he wants them known. If you were to find that information out, and he realized you found out, especially by invading his mind, you could cause his to lose faith in you. You could hurt his faith in people." Kyuubi was hoping she understood, but knew she couldn't without knowing everything. But she could at least figure out enough._

_"I don't want to hurt him." Hinata drew her brow down as she realized she didn't know where the portal was.._

_"Um, how am I supposed to leave?"_

_"Just open a door. And expect it to go to your dream world. Much easier than having to rip a hole in the air." Kyuubi liked the look of surprise he saw on her face, but he wasn't about to laugh with her still scratching him._

_Hinata got up and went to the bedroom door. She closed it, reopened it, and was surprised to see her plateau again._

_"I .. didn't expect it to be there the first time." Kyuubi was mildly impressed. He would have expected her to try and find a closed door. The fact that it was there after she opened it was also interesting. Most people expect it to show what was actually beyond the door._

_"Well, I will go, but what would constitute something important enough to come back?" Hinata turned to face the fox. Uncertainty on her face._

_"If you doubt it, don't try it." Kyuubi just sat there, waiting for her to finish going through. Naruto could change dreams at any time, and he didn't want this girl to find out about him._

_"I can do that, I guess. Bye then." She turned to leave as started stepping through._

_"OH! But if you ever do come back, for any reason, though it had better be good, bring bacon." And after that, she was gone, with an angry 'Furball' floating in the air as her world disappeared._

_Kyuubi watched as the light of her world, her _beautiful_ world, disappeared along with her._

_"I like her Kit. A bit strange, but then, most of you humans are." He then used a Henge to transform into a human form and made himself all the bacon he could find in the freezer._

_-------------------------------_

_Hinata found herself back in her own dreams, back on her plateau. Naruto wasn't around this time._

_"Well, this won't be good at all..." Hinata closed her eyes and willed the world to change. When she opened them back up, she was standing next to a bed with a sleeping Naruto. She had something she wanted to finish._

_Hinata smiled and layed in bed next to her Naruto. Once he got up, she would make him fulfill his dream in her own. She may not have been able to help him in his dream, but here, she was master._

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto woke up, at first not remembering where he was. He felt incredibly at peace, though he did have to go to the bathroom. He began to remember that he was sharing his bed with Hinata, however, when he realized the incredibly soft, warm pillow he was laying against wasn't actually a pillow, but a sleeping Hinata. His arm was draped across her side, her arm over his. He had rolled over during the night making him face Hinata and snuggled up behind her. He absently realized her hair smelled like lavender.

Naruto never realized what waking up with someone could feel like. He always knew he hating being alone, but now, he had a definite reason why. He snuggled up against her, basking in her warmth. He could really learn to like this.

_"Why does this seem a little familiar?"_ Naruto didn't care, he just decided he would wait until he had to go to the bathroom bad enough before he would be forced to let the feeling pass.

"Mmph. Naruto?" Hinata whispered his name slowly, still more than halfway asleep. Naruto was about to jerk away when she grabbed his arm and snuggled deeper into him.

"Mm, you're warm."

Naruto didn't know what to do. She hadn't pulled away disgusted he was touching her or the fact that they were so close. She actually got closer.

"Hinata, we can't stay in bed. We have to get ready for our day." Naruto was past being worried. He decided amused would work. He liked amused.

"The sun isn't even up quite yet. Let's just lay in bed a little longer." Hinata tightened her grip on him slightly and burrowed a little more into Naruto and under the covers, signaling she wasn't letting the discussion go any further.

Naruto wouldn't have cared so much, but he was REALLY beginning to feel the call of his bladder. He decided he would wait it out just a little bit longer.

Hinata had actually woken up mere moments before Naruto had. She had decided to stay in bed as long as possible, enjoying Naruto's warmth as long as possible. She had won her battle about staying in bed with him, but was getting worried about feeling Naruto begin to shake behind her. His entire body was still pressed against hers, so she could feel him rubbing against her.

_"He wouldn't be doing.. that.. would he?"_

"Um, Naruto? Are you okay?" Immediately, the shaking stopped and Hinata was beginning to wonder if he actually HAD been rubbing himself against her.

"Eh, hehe, actually, I have REALLY got to go to the bathroom, but you wouldn't give me my arm back." Naruto, even though she couldn't see it, had flashed her his usual grin as he spoke. It WAS a little embarassing afterall.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She promptly let him go and he was gone in a flash, the blanket still falling back on top of her by the time he was already out the door.

---------------------

"NARUTO! I WAS ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH THE DOOR! DIDN'T YOU EVER LEARN TO SHARE?"

Hinata cringed as she heard Sakura rant at her Naruto.

_"Whoops..."_ Hinata got out of bed and changed quickly.

"S-sorry Sakura! I'll only be a moment, but if I didn't get in here, I would have gone all over the floor!" Naruto's voice came muffled, but Sakura still going to pound him as soon as that door opened.

Hinata heard the door open and a scream as Naruto got thrashed. Once the door slammed, she went out into the hall to see Naruto sitting on the floor rubbing his sore head. After he saw her in the hall, his face immediately brightened.

"That was special!" Naruto's voice held such sincerity about talking about going to the bathroom, Hinata couldn't help but give a soft giggle even though she was grossed out that he would talk about that to her.

-------------------------

After everyone had finished eating, and Lee tried to explain the etiquette of letting girls have the bathroom when desired for the sake of their well-beings, they decided that the girls would ask their new neighbors about food markets and get an idea on the people in the town and get some intelligence, and the boys would work to clean it up and help rebuild.

They all said their good-bye's with Lee and Naruto going to where they saw a small group of men heading, to see about getting jobs helping out and such, and the girls went to Obi's house to confer with his wife for their duties for the day.

-------------------------

"What do you think Kakashi, one or two weeks?" Anko began her wager with Kakashi on how quickly the mission would take. She didn't really care to win, but when she had asked him earlier on his projection, he refused to give it, saying it would take as long as it took. A bet, however, was something she thought he would bite into.

"Mm? Before I ask, what would be the stakes?" Kakashi knew what Anko was after, but he might as well win while he was at it.

Anko eyed him suspiciously. His eye was turned up in the corner, which meant he was smiling, which also meant bad news for her if she wasn't careful.

"Name them." She became more worried when his eye suddently shone much like Gai's and Lee's smiles.

_"Aw crap..."_

"If I win, then you have to Henge into a very... desireable... woman, and prance in front of Jaraiya." Kakashi knew she wouldn't take it, was hoping she wouldn't as well, but would find it worth it if she did.

Anko took in a sharp breathe. Jaraiya could be trouble like that, but a few cups of saki, and she would be fine after that.

"Done." She rather enjoyed seeing that cresent-shaped eye turn round.

"If I win however, then you do the same." She liked when he turned pale even more.

"One week and three days is my estimate. Partly that they will not gather their information slowly, partly that they won't want to leave." Kakashi had already put a lot of thought into how long he thought it would take them, but if it was going to take them longer, he COULD always do whatever he needed to help them out.. Two of them WERE his students after all...

"Fifteen days here." Anko didn't think it would take them that long to actually find the guy, but she didn't think they would be able to mix in fast enough to get started, so it didn't matter as much to her.

The two Jounin shook on it and followed their charges. Anko with the girls, Kakashi with the guys. Both of them trying not to think about what would happen if they lost.

hr 

Author's Note- There shall be much action in the next chapter! This was needed to support a few things for later. Next chapter is going to have... interesting... event take place. I needed to do a few things in this chapter to make some event in later chapters make a little sense. And it seemed as good a time as any. Next chapter should take 5-10 days. I have 2 parts in it that I am trying to decide what direction I want to take them. Sadly, I can't give you any more information without letting you know what it is.

Again, reviewing would be good. And would any of you care if I were to start adding the "kun" to Naruto's name only? lol. It doesn't feel right if Hinata doesn't say it, especially in the.. er.. tender moments (actual tender, not hentai-esque moments.)


	5. Day 1 and The Real Mission Begins

Author's Note - O.o' I have to say... asking for more reviews.. helps.. o.o I got many more in one day for chapter four than I did for the first three for much longer. So you guessed it... the request (NOT begging, lol) shall come more often. But please offer something for which I can attribute to the story. One-liners don't help me over what you guys like and/or dislike. Please give at least one point of good or bad. Anything more is up to you. Thankies.

I was disappointed only 1 person (as of yet) has mentioned Kyuubi's desire for bacon. Pouts I guess I just found it overly interesting myself... o.o And also, for that person, since s/he left such a good review, there won't be, anytime soon, another point where you will be in the Dreamworld. At least not for an extended amount of time, xD. And I do know a fox is a canine, but I like purring. I actually purr in real life (don't ask, but it is true.) I suppose you could think of it as a constant, contented growling... but that isn't as cute. .

No KakashiXAnko for now. I can't really get a good persona for her.

I have also decided that, since I have not been using "kun" at the end of Naruto's name, I won't start using it, except when Hinata is playing the part of the seductress or is giving in to her mischevious or darker side or she is letting her lovey-dovey side for him out. It should start to work because it would help signify part of her change I think. Thanks for the ideas though guys.

I apologize for the horrid tardiness. Tons of mandatory overtime at work and all I wanna do when I get home is sleep. Because of that, I went a week without even getting on the computer. Sorry for the wait.

-------------------------

After everyone had finished eating, and Lee tried to explain the etiquette of letting girls have the bathroom when desired for the sake of their well-beings, they decided that the girls would ask their new neighbors about food markets and get an idea on the people in the town and get some intelligence, and the boys would work to clean it up and help rebuild.

They all said their good-bye's with Lee and Naruto going to where they saw a small group of men heading, to see about getting jobs helping out and such, and the girls went to Obi's house to confer with his wife for their duties for the day.

-------------------------

Naruto and Lee were heading out the door to see if they could find out how they could be helpful when they saw four men headed to the edge of the liveable area of the village to start their daily work. They caught up to them to see what they could do.

"Oi! Old man!" Naruto and Lee caught up to the group of men who were a bit more wary of the two than normal for a village. The group spaced out a few steps from each other in case there would be any trouble.

Lee took quick stock of the four men. All were slightly older men, probably in their mid forties. Their bodies were of average height and seemed relatively strong, but none of them held themselves like fighters. And their hands were better suited to menial labor. They were similar to his, he noticed. But without all the damage.

Naruto, however, was totally oblivious to everything except the looks they gave him and Lee. They were exactly like that those in Konoha had given him. That was all he cared to notice.

"Can we help you?" The man closest to the duo spoke once they were within comfortable talking distance, hoping to get them to stop a little short of himself and his friends.

"Sir, I am Rock Lee and my friend here is Uzumaki Naruto. Were were recently given permission by Lord Enura Yorino to settle in this village with the condition that we help to rebuild it. We have come to you to see if we could be given any direction as to where to begin?" Lee was having a lot of difficulty with his talking. He didn't want to have to talk like this all the time. It was horrible!

"Why would you want to come to THIS village? Have you looked around here lately?" The older man on the side was incredulous that they would want to settle in their little destroyed village. It was obvious to anyone who would look that they had just come out of a disaster. And there would be no telling if it wouldn't happen again soon.

"Well, our village was under an internal war with those in power and those of us who weren't. After things got bad, we left. We made our way here, and it looked like whatever happened here was pretty much done, so we decided we would offer to help rebuild and do what we could to help out here in exchange for allowing us to stay." This time, when Lee spoke, he allowed some of his usual method of speech into it. He figured the added spirit would make it seem more realistic. Or at least he hoped so.

The group looked at the two as they sized them up in their minds. The speaker was tall, lanky, and wore green pants that hung, not loosely on his frame, but certainly not loose. And his shirt was a deep brown that held to his body around his shoulders, but loose around the rest. And he looked quite ridiculous with a thick bowl-cut for his black hair. But they could see the passion in his eyes. He wasn't a bad person. The second one, however, was totally different. He was loud, obnoxious, and kept bugging the guy on the left, tugging on his shirt, asking if there was a ramen shop anywhere in town. His wild blonde hair was up more than any other direction and he had the brightest blue eyes any of them had ever seen. He seemed to have three scars on his cheeks though that reminded each of them of whiskers. And he had a perpetual grin on his face. The blonde one was basically a ball of energy that wouldn't shut up...

"Alright, you can come with us then. We are going to try and clean up some of the area around the housing sector. We could use your bodies to life the larger stuff." With that, the group of four turned and started walking to their destination.

"Oi! What are your names?" Naruto ran up to them and realized they were ignoring him. "HEY! I'm talking! Hey, listen!" He waved his armed and took stances at them that, though meant to be intimidating, he could only actually bring about in a comical fashion. He just wasn't able to look angry. He just got louder as the group laughed at him. They continued on their way to start working as they listened to Naruto grumble about boring old men.

-------------------------------

After the boys left, Hinata and Sakura cleaned up what little was left of breakfast and their plates. Lee had rinsed and all but cleaned his own utensils, but Naruto had left everything where it lay.

"You would think that the little baka would have followed Lee's example, but _noooooo_. He just left everything like he does at his home." Sakura grumbled a little more as she cleaned, not noticing Hinata's small smile.

"W-well, he has lived like that his whole life. It is s-somewhat hard to b-break old habits." Hinata felt she had to defend him a little. It just wasn't fair when he wasn't here to defend himself. "He has ha-had no reason to clean up after himself. He is just Naruto."

Sakura stopped scrubbing the last plate as she looked over at Hinata. She was... different. She saw Hinata's movements become less fluid as she watched her, and a slight blush creep across her cheeks. Then it hit her.

"H-Hinata. You're stuttering again." After the comment, she saw Hinata's cheeks go crimson and immediately, her anger boiled up.

"HE DIDN'T TRY ANYTHING LAST NIGHT DID HE? IF HE DID, I'LL-"

"N-n-n-no, Sakura! He was very nice! He offered to take the floor, but I told him no since he would be working outside, helping the vi-vill-villag, what? Why are you looking at me like that?" Hinata started stuttering quite hard when she saw Sakura begin to form a fiendish grin.

"Did _you_ try anything?" Sakura was pleased Hinata was becoming more confident, but she was still worried about how she would turn out. So far, things seemed to be alright. So she was beginning to believe Ino wasn't totally stupid. This could actually turn out okay. She only had a little doubt left, so she was going to enjoy it while she could keep Hinata alone to answer the juicy questions.

Hinata didn't blush as she normally would, she actually paled.

"N-n-no! I p-plan on d-d-doing n-nothing." Hinata started pushing her index fingers together and turned slightly away from Sakura's accusing smiles.

Sakura knew better. Alone with the man she likes, sharing his bed, away from wandering gazes.

"Tell me, Hinata," Sakura paused slightly for dramatic effect. "Do you plan on doing anything soon? I mean, of all the things I have seen so far, when he is around, you are practically pure sensuallity. When he isn't around, you are mostly yourself again. You only need to tell him what you feel and that will probably be all that is left of it. After that," Sakura shrugged. "After that, he will probably be as willing as you want him to be." She said the last bit with a smirk, which only grew as she saw Hinata flush darker and darker with each word.

Hinata pushed her fingers together with a little more force and then suddenly stopped and looked away from Sakura so Sakura couldn't see her face.

"I... I have a p-plan." Hinata stood very still a moment before turning to Sakura with a grin.

What Sakura saw as Hinata turned was almost scary. She had a grin, much like Naruto's, plastered across her face. It was not a normal sight.

"W-what plan?" Sakura was slightly disturbed to say the least. She watched Hinata turn and finished wiping off the table.

"I won't d-do anything until w-we get back to K-Konoha. After that, I-I will s-show him how I fe-feel." Hinata took her rag, which had caught only Naruto's ramen bits, and emptied it into the trash can as Sakura watched her.

"How do you plan on letting him know?" Sakura hadn't missed the fact that Hinata said 'show him' how she feels. Nor could she missed Hinata's smile as she put more concentration into making sure her rag was cleaned of all debris. She looked... like a predator.

"I'm not totally sure yet. I still have many ideas running through my head." She didn't feel bad for not telling Sakura her plans. She would surely try and stop her.

_"And I most certainly cannot have that. It is going to be the only way. Still though... how..?"_ Hinata had to think more on that. She needed a plan by when they got back. Hinata relaxed her face and put on a small smile before looking at Sakura.

"I am s-still a little worried about h-how he w-will react."

Sakura was a little worried about how Hinata had looked a few moments ago, but forgot all about it as she saw the slight tinge of fear in her eyes.

_"No, that proves it. She is still Hinata. She is a little more confident, but that isn't a bad thing. And she deserves Naruto. He is a loud and boisterous guy, but they compliment each other perfectly."_ Sakura couldn't help but smile.

"I am sure he will be very receptive, Hinata." Sakura flipped the end of the moistened towel at Hinata playfully, getting a small yelp of surprise.

"Come on, we should go ask Obi's wife how to get started in this town. I have no clue where the shops are."

"A-Alright, let me just put on a Henge for my eyes."

"Oh, do you remember what you made your eyes look like when we came in? I know noone really looked at us, but there could have been someone."

"Of c-course Sakura. I decided to make my eyes look like Shizune's. I a-always thought she had p-pretty eyes."

"Yea, they are as expressive as she is. Good choice." Sakura believed that. She thought the same thing about Shizune's eyes. They were warm and welcoming.

----------------------------------------

Anko was shocked to say the least. The Hyuuga girl was infatuated with Naruto. Sure, she was aware of Hinata's actions whenever Naruto neared. She heard about the feintings and blushings, but she didn't think it was nearly that strong. He was so... loud.

Anko couldn't help but smile. _ "Hiashi would HATE this. But then again... he never has to know."_ Anko began to enjoy this job even more.

She licked her lips and smiled knowing she would keep Hinata's secret from him. She hated the bastard. Any man that would treat his eldest daughter like that deserved the worst. Head of the family or not, she hoped the end for him was slow and painful.

"Aw well. Time for the day to begin. I just hope Kakashi doesn't get wind of this. There is no telling what he would tell Naruto to be a good idea." She frowned a bit. "Or maybe what wouldn't be a bad idea." She shuddered a bit remembering their bet. If this got out, she could be in for a world of hurt.

"Please... PLEASE don't let him find out about this..." She would have to keep him from hearing the girls' conversations. But she could pull that off easily.

----------------------------------------

The girls got ready and hid their forehead protectors under a loose floorboard against the wall, just in case anyone decided to check their rooms while they were gone. Sakura gathered up a small chunk of the money she had brought and the two of them went over to Obi's house. Hinata put on her Henge and they went next door.

Sakura and Hinata stepped up to the door and knocked lightly on the door and sat back and waited for someone to answer.

"Who is it?" Thankfully, it was Obi. It would make getting in easier since they hadn't met his wife yet.

"Hello Obi, it is Sakura and Hinata." They waited patiently while he unlocked a series of bolts and locks and then opened the door a crack. After seeing they were alone, he opened it all the way to allow them in.

"Ah, hello girls. Is there anything I can do for you?" Obi closed the door quickly behind them as they came in.

"Actually, we were hoping to speak with your wife. We were planning on asking about local shops, grociers and some of the people around here. We decided that, since you are aware of who we really are, and our purpose, then you would be willing to answer our questions and we don't have to hide our curiousity for now." Sakura fell in place behind Obi as he motioned for them to follow deeper into his home.

"Very well. Yuri is at the table."

The girls looked at the rooms they passed as they were led into the kitchen area. It was two floors, with the sleeping rooms upstairs, but downstairs was the kitchen, living area and dining area. He was leading them through the living area into the dining area. They were quite pleased with the living room though. It was all inviting and full of warm, muted colors. The furniture was mostly traditional and arranged in a conversational setting.

_"They must have been used to entertaining guests.."_ Hinata had a room similar in her clan house. It was much more formal and nowhere near as welcoming, but she was well aware of the importance of how it was arranged. They must have had to change their whole lifestyle because of the attack.

The whole house was cozy and inviting. The girls both felt immediately at ease and welcomed.

As Obi and the girls entered the kitchen, they saw an older woman sitting at the table, sipping a hot tea from both hands. She was a little heavier - set and had on a traditional sky-blue and green kimono. She was actually quite lovely. Her hair was a dark, chestnut brown that came nearly to her waist, pulled back in a loose ponytail with a light green ribbon. Her features weren't sharp, exactly, but they had soft edges showing her gentle side even though she looked like she was a little upset.

"Ah, Yuri dear. These are the two women I told you about that came in to town with the other two male ninja. This is Hinata, and this is Sakura." He said their names as he motioned to each in turn as they bowed their hello's to her.

"So, you have come to help our village with it's problem then?"

Her voice was light and earthy. It surprised both girls at how beautiful it was.

_"Wow, Obi really got lucky on this one. She's gorgeous."_ Sakura was impressed. This was, even in her later years, quite a beauty. Hinata was thinking a very similar thing.

"Well, we did. We do, however, have some questions. We decided to ask you about some of the shops here so we know where to go and also about some of the people here. Since you already know who we are, we feel we can get the most pertinent information from you. We figure we won't have to mask our questions for now." Sakura and Hinata had agreed to allow Sakura to do most of the talking since Hinata was back to her stuttering self without Naruto around. She was getting better at it, but it was still most definitely there.

"I see. Well, have a seat, have a seat. Would you like some tea?" Yuri was already setting out two additional cups next to her and pouring them each one.

"Th-thank you." Hinata sat down and immediately took her cup into her hands and watched the heat swirling over the dark liquid.

"Thank you very much." Sakura took cup and took a sip after Yuri had refilled her own cup and relaxed in her chair a bit.

"I will see you at lunch time Yuri. Have a good day, Dear." Obi gave his wife a kiss on the crown of her head and walked out the door, leaving a smiling Yuri watching him go.

Yuri looked back at the two young women in front of her. The pink-haired woman was watching her while the blue-haired one watched her tea. An interesting pair to say the least.

"So, what would you like to know? You mentioned shops and people, but no specifics." Yuri looked at each girl in turn as she spoke, unsure which would hold the higher rank.

"Well, firstly, we would like to talk about people. Nothing specific really, but more about the village as a whole." Sakura spoke and then took a small sip of her tea. It was way too hot for more.

"Well, about the village as a whole is quite a broad spectrum, Child. You'll need to ask specific questions if you want to know anything. I could talk for hours about this village, and sadly, you may not find out a single thing you were looking for."

Sakura shrank a little inside feeling almost chastised. But it was Hinata that took initiative.

"W-we would like t-to know where a-all of the p-people are. We have n-noticed that it is older people and a-almost noone else around. We s-saw a few children in the windows peeking out, b-but almost nothing else." Hinata took a quick sip of her tea, thankful for the distraction from Yuri's gaze. It wasn't that the woman stared, but she looked you in the eyes. Most people looked away after only a few seconds.

"I see. Well, before the battle, Kokoro had begun using his techniques to take the men from the village and make them loyal to his cause. There are a few who managed to break his grasp, but they were either killed, or they were forced into some form of menial slavery. Either way, they don't return home." Yuri took a deep drink of her tea before continuing. The girls could tell she had more to say, so they let her have her time.

"Many in the village worry that anyone here of a moderate age is working for him now. So, they worry. And they make their children stay inside in case he comes back to finish everyone off."

"I see. So, Lord Yorino said that he had men search and were unable to find where he may be staying. Do you have any ideas?" Sakura was a little upset that a guy could actually control so many people and that he actually _would_. It was just a horrible thing.

"None at all. Just as everyone else, we try not to pay too much attention to them except to know when they are near. There is nothing to say they are anywhere. It is as though they have just disappeared into thin air." Yuri sighed deeply as she finished speaking and swirled her tea in her cup.

"I am sorry I can't help you any more, but I am aware of what Yorino has told you. I can offer nothing more, really, than he did. Much of what you will need to know is with the other villagers I am afraid. Kokoro knows that Obi and I are close with Yorino, so he makes sure to stay clear of us. He deals mainly with the other villagers. We were all close-knit, but during the last year and a half, every one of us grew apart from the others. It started with intimidation on Kokoro's part, but when some of us began to fear speaking with the others, it caused tension which eventually broke us apart. With him around, no matter how hard we would try, we were unable to repair anything of our friendships. Half of the village left, the rest are either here or held by his techniques. Yorino is the only one who can defeat Kokoro, but he can't be found."

Hinata had began paying close attention during the part about the villagers and everyone breaking apart. It reminded her of Naruto's dream. It was also causing her to get angry. Very angry.

"So the people of the village, rather than stop such an evil intent in the beginning, they allowed it to break them apart and make many people alone?" Hinata's voice held a bit of intensity but a lot of anger could be heard in it as well.

Sakura was surprised. Hinata didn't have any of her usual timid self showing right now, aside from being a little quiet. But she still had a lot of force in her words. This was a Hinata she would expect with Naruto around, but he wasn't anywhere close.

Yuri was a little frightened. This young woman, who was a trained killer, was angry and there was nothing else she could do aside from talk.

"It wasn't something we could really do much about. We don't actually know how it got so bad, we just realized one day that it was. We suspect his techniques were used, but have no way to know." Yuri sounded almost pleading in her words even if she sounded just as calm and collected as she did at the beginning.

Hinata growled her displeasure, but remained quiet, so Sakura took the initiative instead.

"Eh, so, uh, we were wondering where we could get some more produce and other foods to stock the house for a little bit." Sakura plastered a sheepish grin over her face and rubbed the back of her head, trying her best to mimick Naruto.

Yuri smiled warmly at Sakura's mention of food and shops. She was hoping to bring that up just in case she forgot to.

"Ah, well, I am going to go and get some food for Obi's lunch today. I can show you the stores and we can all be back in time to make lunch for everyone." Yuri clasped her hands together in delight. It had been a while since she could share a day with anyone. It may not be her close friends, but she would still enjoy the day

Sakura and Hinata just looked at her as if she said the sky was as bright an orange as Naruto's clothes.

"What d-do you mean 'm-make lunch for everyone'?"

"Well, all of the men work really hard to help rebuild this village. Instead of letting them worry about their own lunches and when lunch is, the women of their homes make their lunch and bring it to them. It is something they all share. It is the only thing left of the way our village was before." Yuri was pleased with the small tradition. It was practically the only thing of the past that they had left.

"Oh... uh... well, I suppose that is a good thing to know..." Sakura spoke slowly as she realized they could have really embarrassed Lee and Naruto on their first day there. That was assuming that they hadn't done so themselves yet.

Yuri laughed as she saw how the two girls began to fret over what they would do.

"Come, come. We will find something to make up for your young men." Yuri got up and set her cup, along with the rest of the set, on the counter.

"Give me just a few moments to get ready." Yuri hurried out of the kitchen to get her money purse.

Sakura turned to face Hinata and noticed she was staring off into the distance, past the walls of the dining area.

"Hinata? Are you okay?"

"Fine. I just can't believe the town would allow such a thing, and then be upset when it happens. It was so similar to Naruto's dream." Hinata was talking in her usual quiet voice at the end and more to herself, but Sakura could still hear her.

"His dream? What does this have to do with being Hokage?" Sakura was totally confused.

_"What could Naruto's dreams have to do with some guy going looney and trying to take over a whole village?" _ Sakura paused a moment in her thoughts._ "I will pretend I DIDN'T just make that connection... I REALLY don't want to think of Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage just to take over Konoha."_

Hinata gave a small start after hearing Sakura mention Naruto's dream. She hadn't realized she had spoken out loud.

_"At least she associated it with something so I don't have to try and explain myself."_

"N-no Sakura. I w-was referring t-to a dream Naruto t-told me about while he slept. I-it was some t-time ago." She didn't have to lie entirely. She could explain most of it.

"Oh. Well, at least now we know we won't make them starve." Sakura gave a big smile at the thought. "What do you think we should get them?"

"W-well, Naruto only eats something other than ramen w-when he is forced to. I d-don't know what Lee would like."

Sakura looked down and blushed a bit. "L-Lee enjoys dango." It wasn't that she knew what Lee would enjoy that made her blush, but that Hinata was smiling at her before she had even looked down.

"Ah, that sounds like a wonderful idea! I can take you to a shop with wonderful meats for it." Yuri had come back after tightening her hair ribbon and getting her money.

"Ah, welcome back Yuri. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, quite. Off we go then?" Yuri ushered the two shinobi out ahead of her as they went out to the stores.

"If I may, after such a travesty, how does commerce still manage to be so strong? You make it sound as if no shops closed or anything." That was what had Sakura off edge for the whole interview.

"They are in the area of town least affected by the battle. So they stayed open. A few did shut down, but many were left open."

"Oh. That makes sense."

--------------------------------

Anko sighed heavily as she used a stealth technique so she could follow the girls more easily. She was NOT fond of the idea of following a group of girls as they went shopping.

"Just let this day end quickly."

Anko hopped from roof to roof as she followed the girls to the shopping area.

_"Eh, maybe I can find something to help me win my bet against Kakashi..."_ She shuddered at thinking about having to find her way in front of the old, perverted frog hermit.

--------------------------------

Naruto and Lee followed the four men to a heavily destroyed area of the village. As they walked, building had more and more damage to their walls and foundations. They turned a corner to see a large portion of buildings burned to the ground and only partially cleared. A larger group of men, maybe thirty of them, were scattered about, getting ready to start a long day of clearing rubble and trying to rebuild what didn't have to be fully torn down.

Lee and Naruto followed Obi to the group, but fell back a step each as the men stopped talking amongst themselves and turned to look at the newcomers. It made the two of them a little uneasy, though they expected it.

"Obi, who are your new friends?" A gruff - looking man near the front had spoken, eyeing Naruto, and then Lee with much more scrutiny, up and down, gauging them.

"Ah, hello Rand. These two are Naruto, and Lee." Obi acknowledged each in turn. "They have recently come to this village to move with the permission of Lord Enura Yorino. Naruto came with his lovely betrothed and Lee here came with a beauty on his arm as well." Both boys blushed deeply at hearing themselves associated romantically with the girls.

"They came from a village a bit worse off than our own, I am afraid." Obi did his best to play his part as well as he told Yorino he said he would. He also made sure to specify which Enura had given their blessings.

"I see." Rand took to resting his back against the wall of a building that would need to be demolished soon. "So how strong are the two of you? Do you think you could hold your own and keep up with us through the day?"

Naruto let out his usual, cheesy grin and put his hand behind his head.

"Haha! The two of us have been doing harsh physical things our whole lives! We can keep up with you old guys without a sweat!" Naruto had pointed at the men around them as he said 'old guys' and got a chuckle out of many of them, while others just simply smiled and shook their heads.

Lee, too, shook his head. Naruto was most definitely a loud guy.

"I am sorry for my energetic friend. The flames of life burn deeply and brightly inside him and he lives by them." Lee, before he could catch himself, struck a nice guy pose, flashing a mega-watt grin. Everyone just looked at him like he was something that was highly volatile. Maybe something combustible.

After a few moments, Rand shook his head to clear it and held his hands up in a defensive - like gesture.

"Alright, alright. So, how strong are you guys really? See that bit of rubble over there? We cleared that up the last couple of days. See what you can lift." Rand just looked at both expectantly, waiting for some excuse as to why they wouldn't do it. He still didn't know what kind of people they are, so he would just test them out to see what they could back up of what they said.

Naruto and Lee looked at each other, shrugged, and went over to the rubble.

"Remember, we can't let on about our true strength. We don't want to be found out, but maybe something a LITTLE impressive, to show them that we aren't totally worthless?" Naruto whispered to Lee as they got close to the rubble.

"I agree. Nothing TOO flashy, but we can certainly show them what we can do."

"Agreed. Follow my lead though, because weak to you is still strong to normal shinobi."

Naruto went to a wall piece that weighed roughly as much as he did and tried lifting it. It was still quite easy, but he pretended to have slight difficulty with it. After lifting it over his head, he dropped it next to him and watched as Lee picked up one that was probably twice Naruto's weight, and pretended to have difficulties with it as well, but followed suite. Naruto noticed Lee didn't actually strain any of his muscles as he lifted, he just made the grunts and used jerky movements. He would have to mention that later.

The men around them, even Obi, looked very impressed. Naruto alone lifted what they do, and that Lee guy lifted twice as much.

"Very impressive you two. With that kind of strength, we are going to let you be a two man team cleaning up rubble and we will work with rebuilding. Well, first thing is first. Let's introduce you to the rest of the gang."

After getting their introductions, Naruto and Lee were showed by Obi what area they would be cleaning up. They were to take all of the loose rubble and take it to the side where they would load it up and take it out of the village at a later time on a large cart. They weren't taking out the debris for now though due to all the of the trouble that would happen. After being given their instructions, they went to work and everyone else did the same.

The others were split up to maximize their talents. For now, cleaning up was priority, but there were a few who would work on a building to make it stable and liveable again. Naruto and Lee were just given a small area for now, to see how quickly they would work and how thorough they were.

"Now, the building here needs to come down. It is just about ready to fall on its own, so steer clear of it." Obi wanted to be sure they didn't get hurt, but also, he didn't want them to make too much noise for now.

"If it is that dangerous, why not bring it down already?" Naruto didn't think it was safe to leave a building like that up. What if a kid wanted to play in it?

"We just haven't worked on this area as of yet. There are several buildings that need to come down, but for now, there just isn't enough manpower to do it all at once. So instead of having a bunch of rubble and debris everywhere, we leave them until we can take care of them."

"Can we take it down since we are working on this section then? I am sure we can have the sanctioned area cleared by mid-day or so." Lee was looking forward to this. It would prove to be a very good workout.

"Come to find me first, but knowing who you are, I am relatively sure I can talk them in to allowing it. We should really get ready to work, do you have any last questions?" Obi gave them a few moments to respond, but after their no's, he left them to their duties.

-------------------------

Naruto and Lee had been doing their jobs and cleaning up all of the rubble, but it was much harder than they had previously thought. They had taken off their shirts after working up a sweat that made their shirts bind and catch around their shoulders. Naruto had nearly dropped a piece of wall on himself when he didn't lift it all the way.

"Man, I wish I could use Kage Bunshin. I could take this whole place out in minutes." Naruto was currently grunting over a particularly large flooring piece.

"You could, but then you wouldn't have the benefit of such a wonderful workout! This will only make you stronger and gives you the discipline to grow! Don't let your sweat extinguish your flames of youth, Naruto!" Lee, to help prove his point tossed his large boulder - sized roof piece into the cart from several paces away and flexed for emphasis. "Continue to work like this, and you may even become as strong as I!"

Naruto tossed a pebble at Lee's forehead, though Lee just cocked his head to the side to dodge it.

"Eh, it isn't that I don't mind becoming stronger, it is just that I want to help these people get this done so they can put it behind them. It makes me angry that a person would turn on his village like this!"

"I agree. But that is just all the more reason to finish this as quickly as possible. After that, we could finish off whatever day we have left to maybe help as much as possible." Lee grabbed up a bunch of smaller bits and threw them all into the cart which he had moved to only a couple of paces from where they were working as he spoke.

"Agreed. I won't let him get away with this. It just isn't right." Naruto practically growled his last statement.

The boys kept working it out, filling up several carts' worth of debris into the dispatch pile they had been tested with earlier. They had only a few minutes more to go before being fully cleaned up in their area except for the building, which rocked back and forth with the wind, creaking it's discomfort, when Obi came to them with a small smile on his lips.

"Very nice. You still amaze. You two ready for your mid-day break?" Obi walked with them as other men headed to where everyone first met at their arrival.

"Oi, yea! A break sounds good!" Naruto jumped up and punched his fist into the air.

"Thank you very much. We will follow." Lee didn't care much for a break, but decided that if everyone else took one, then it would be good for appearences.

The three went to meet the rest of the men and found that all but a handful had women offering them food and spoke with them in good spirits.

"Oi, Obi, what is going on?" Naruto was awestruck. They were all so ... close. They all cared for each other.

"It is lunch time. We take about an hour in the middle of the day to eat lunch. It is something of a tradition for the woman of a house to bring the man lunch for him. It keeps everyone in high spirits and it is basically all we have left of our previous selves."

"Oh. Well, we didn't know about that. I don't think we can expect something like that from Sakura or Hinata, can we Lee!" Naruto plastered a huge grin on his face until he flew to the ground with a harsh thud.

"Oh you can't can you!" Sakura's forehead had a small vein that pulsed with her heart as she held her fist up.

_"How dare that brat! To think we would let them appear as though we didn't care like everyone else in the village!"_ She decided to ignore the fact that that very same thing would have happened if they hadn't spoken to Yuri.

"S-Sakura, why did you hit me so hard?" Naruto could feel a large lump on his head rise a little.

"My poor Naruto, sit up here and have some lunch." Hinata helped Naruto up to his feet and then to sit on a makeshift bench. She looked at his head to make sure there wasn't anything permanently damaged and then gave a brief glare to Sakura, who was handing Lee the dango she had made.

"We went through all the trouble of making you lunch and you didn't even think we would! Hmph!"

"Thank you very much for the dango Sakura. Please, sit. We can enjoy it together." Lee gently pushed Sakura onto the bench and sat next to her offering the meal to her first.

Naruto glanced at the dango and pouted slightly.

_"Why couldn't they just make some ramen? That is all anyone really needs anyway.."_

Naruto was about to say he wasn't very hungry when he heard Hinata giggle next to him.

"Eh? What is so funny Hinata?"

"You are. Don't be so sad! I thought of you when we decided on lunch." Hinata reached down by her feet and pulled up a covered bowl. She held it out to Naruto and popped the lid a little so he could see the noodley goodness within, making his nose twitch in delight.

Just as Naruto reached for the bowl, Hinata pulled it back with an "Ah ah ahhhh. Tell me, who is the greatest woman in the world?"

Naruto looked at Hinata with a look of such pleading that Hinata just smiled and then shook the bowl slightly in the air.

"AH! YOU KNOW I AM NOT GOOD AT TESTS!" Naruto knew this had to be a trick question. How was he supposed to answer something that ... _"OF COURSE!"_

Naruto got to one knee and took Hinata's free hand in his. "My dear, there is no greater woman in any world than you!"

Hinata, shocked beyond all reason, just slid her hand holding the ramen towards Naruto, who quickly snatched it from her too - slow hand. That was much more than she had been expecting. And by the look on Sakura's face, she hadn't either.

Naruto took the bowl with a small laugh that wasn't totally sane. "Hi-Hinata, you are the lunch goddess!" He set the bowl down next to them and offered her the sticks so she could eat some as well. Normally he wouldn't share, but she DID think of him, afterall.

Hinata laughed at Naruto's joke and pushed the bowl and sticks back toward him.

"No Naruto, I am not hungry, and even if I were, this is barely a fraction of your usual meal. I just couldn't make any more for a lack of anything to carry it in. Enjoy it. We can have more ready for when you and Lee get home." She scooted herself forward a bit as she pushed them at him, making her legs touch his own.

"Are you sure Hinata? I don't mind sharing with you." He actually didn't, but he wasn't planning on fighting her too much more than that anyway.

"Eat or I'll be forced to feed you." Hinata looked out the corner of her eye, making a point of letting him notice. "Or would you rather them see me feed my future husband?" She made her voice sound as sincere as possible, which caused him to choke on the bite of noodles he had already taken.

"GAH! Y-you wouldn't dare..."

Hinata smiled and scratched Naruto behind the ear. "Not if you eat up like a good boy." She couldn't help but smile at his furious expression.

"Just wait, when I get home, I'm gonna teach you!" Naruto slumped his shoulders and slurped loudly and pointedly on a single noodle to make a point he hadn't even thought to try and get across.

"Okay you two... enough the with teasing. It makes it hard to eat over here!" Sakura could hardly believe how they were acting. She loved it, it was incredible how Hinata was around Naruto, but it still made her uneasy.

"They are just engulfed in the flames of love Sakura! They cannot help but show it in even the most simple of events!" Lee's eyes morphed into little hearts and he clenched his fist in front of his chest as twin rivers began flowing from his eyes, making all of the usual townsfolk, and one blushing Sakura, sweatdrop behind him.

Rand leaned over to Obi and Yuri. "And you said Yorino let them come into this village _willingly_?" Rand watched as Lee flashed a VERY sparkly grin at Naruto with a thumbs up. _"They're crazy... That has to be it."_

Naruto looked over to Rand and pouted for a moment. "OI! You think that's bad! You should have seen what she made me do before agreeing to marry me! It was a WEEK before people stopped pointing and laughing!"

Sakura was beyond angry. Naruto was putting more depth into their story than anyone needed. If you make a story too deep and complicated, you can't follow it.

"NARUTO!" Sakura was chocking the blonde back and forth until she caught a rage radiating off Hinata strong enough for her to feel a prickling sensation on her skin. She let him go and put her hands up in a defensive gesture with an embarrassed smile.

"Eh-heh. S-Sorry Hinata. You train him." She went back and sat next to Lee who was watching the whole thing with a studious expression.

Obi chuckled at the whole thing. This was beginning to be a good day.

------------------------------------------------

Kakashi and Anko just sweatdropped. The entire unfolding of events before them was, well, they wanted to just crawl into a hole from watching it.

"Sakura was upset, but Naruto actually helped them out rather than hurt their background. Naruto is just the type to think up something fun and light to be believable and give them actual depth, don't you think Kakashi?"

"Mm? Did you say something?" Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha Paradise book to look at a very peeved Anko.

"Don't you EVER stop reading that damned book you pervert!"

Kakashi waved the book at her in a 'goodbye' fashion and gave a sheepish laugh. "Eheh, sorry, sorry. Um.. what?"

Kakashi recoiled as Anko shot an intent to kill at him. Well, granted, she didn't shoot it at him, but he felt it with enough force that it could very easily have been.

Anko lost her intent to kill as a thought struck her.

_"Actually, this could be good. Maybe this will help me win that bet."_ Anko looked over at Kakashi and smiled in a way that made Kakashi shiver from his shoulder blades to his toes, though he made sure she didn't see it. He was aware of everything that was going on, but this was much more fun. Except at times like this.

------------------------------------------------

"Alright you guys, we want to get finished up soon. We have a full half day left to work with, we don't wanna lose it!" Obi attempted to put authority into his voice, but it still held too much humor. He turned to eat his dango and speak with Yuri as he did so.

"Oi, Hinata?" Naruto quickly slurped up a few noodles and spoke again after Hinata cocked her head to the side. "How's come you aren't stuttering anymore? I just realized that you haven't done that. When did you stop?"

"I don't know. I still stutter sometimes, but I am not worried anymore around the thing that made me stutter the most anymore. And I suppose it started a few days ago. I believe you told me a while ago I should speak up more often, did you not?"

"Mmph-fesh." Naruto tried to agree but had half the noodles in the bowl hanging from his mouth. "Yea, I did... I like it. It makes you appear much stronger, which will make you stronger."

Hinata smiled and blushed a little from Naruto's compliment. She wasn't beyond happy blushings, afterall.

"Yes Sakura, we have cleared up much of the debris in the section assigned to us, but we plan on knocking down a building to clean it up too." Lee was telling Sakura of what they had done and seen throughout the day in case there was anything they could use to piece together later. That, and everyone else was talking, and they had nothing other than that and the mission, really, to talk about without possibly giving themselves away.

"S-so, you plan on knocking down a building just to clean?" Sakura KNEW she had to have missed something. Men don't like to clean, it just isn't natural.

"No, we shall knock it down because it will come down on it's own, and this way, it won't be with children or a villager around to get hurt."

"Oh, that makes much more sense." And it really did. Inner Sakura was screaming at her on how obvious it was, which didn't make her feel too much better.

Sakura and Lee sat eating in silence for a few moments, listening to Hinata and Lee tease each other.

"Sakura?" Lee was studying his dango as he spoke, making sure it was low enough for her to hear, but not so loud that the others could.

"Huh? What is it Lee?" Sakura always knew an energetic and passionate Lee. This Lee was quiet and ... different.

"Thank you for making lunch for me." Lee had turned his face to her as he spoke and flashed her a huge grin, but without the flash of light and teeth.

"Y-you're welcome Lee." Sakura smiled back at him with a small flush on her cheeks. She looked down quickly though, letting her hair fall forward to hide it. She liked his smiles. They were creepy at first, but after a little while, she realized how real they were.

They both ate the rest of the dango with smiles and silence.

"So, my DEAR Naruto... What did I have you do before I agreed to become yours?" Hinata fluttered her eyelashes at Naruto and made it sound like she had honestly forgotten. She loved making him nervous. She didn't see him like that often.

"Eh? Oh, um..." Naruto closed his eyes and tilted his head up a little thinking of something good. After a few seconds, his eyes flew open and he had a wild look in his eye.

"AH! I know!" He scooted a little closer to Hinata in his enthusiasm. "Well, how about you made me babysit Konohamaru and his class for 3 days straight and they tied me upside down on a post and the girls dressed me up and put a bunch of make-up on me?"

Hinata burst into laughter at the mental image of Naruto upside down covered in lipstick that went to his ears and gagged so he couldn't yell for help. It was a good image.

All of the villagers that were behind the group of shinobi smiled when Hinata laughed loudly with Naruto. They were bringing life back to the village, and they had only been there a day and a half.

"Alright everyone, time's up. We need to get back to work." Obi got up and stretched. "Let's get back to our sections guys." With that, he said he goodbye to Yuri and left as the others did the same. Naruto and Lee held back a little bit with Sakura and Hinata. They quickly finished their food and as the groups cleared, they said their goodbyes.

"Naruto?" Hinata caught Naruto's arm as he turned to head back to the dilapidated building making him face her again.

"What is it Hinata?"

"I-When you are done here, hurry home, okay?" She didn't think he noticed the slip where she almost said something different,but she decided to play it safe and just smile and turn towards Sakura and hurry over to her.

_"What a wierd girl."_ Naruto turned back and caught up to Lee as they went to the building.

"What did Hinata want Naruto?" Lee knew that she liked him, everyone but Naruto knew.

"She just said to hurry home after we were done. But I think we should try to talk with some of the guys first."

"Good idea. Off to finish the job then." They covered the ground quickly and got to the building.

"Well, what do you think? Just knock it down and then pick it up?" Naruto didn't have any idea how to tear down a building safely. He knew he could use Rasengan, but that would cause a lot more damage than to just the building.

"Yes, but I am debating the safest way. We cannot do it from the inside, or whoever is in there will be crushed. As for the outside, we could shove it to one side, but still risk getting impaled by debris or splinters of some form." Lee was looking at the building, trying to figure out its weakest spot.

Naruto was looking also, but in a different way. "Oi, what if I use Kage Bunshin and my clones tear it down from inside? They won't be seen in there, or at all if I make them while just inside, and no danger to us. I can just jump out the door if it is too dangerous." It seemed like a good idea to him. He didn't like what he experienced through his clones, but he had quickly become used to it.

Lee could find no fault in it, so he grunted his consent.

"Alright! Just watch this!" Naruto ran over to the building and slid to a halt in front of the door. He gingerly stepped inside just a little bit so as to be out of view from anyone who may watch and decided how many clones he would need and where they would need to appear. After half a minute of gauging the building, he knew what, where and how to hit it.

"**KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU**!"

Six Naruto's popped out of the smoke and crouched in against the walls and where they couldn't be seen from the outside. They all looked at each other and nodded their agreement to the plan. The real Naruto got ready to run. The six Naruto's readied themselves and with the real Naruto counting to three, they all attacked the inner walls, forcing the building to cave in on itself as the real Naruto ran out the door half a second before the attacks hit the building, making it seem as though he ran out to escape whatever he had done inside.

Lee watched as Naruto ran out of the building and it seemed to cave in on itself. Naruto had a look of glee as he ran out of the building followed by plumes of dust from the door and the boom of everything falling in on itself.

"Naruto, why do you look so happy?" Lee was at a loss for what was in his friend's head. It was really quite strange to be running for one's life with a smile.

"Haha!" Naruto stopped next to Lee and caught his breath. "I guess it is just kinda fun to make a big boom!" He laughed at his own joke while Lee just shook his head.

"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON?" Lee and Naruto turned to see several of the men from the sections closest to them run up with makeshift weapons and breathing hard.

"Eh, sorry. Obi said that when we were done picking up this section, that the house had to come down, so we went ahead and did it." Naruto forgot that these people might be a little jumpy of what could be explosions to their ears.

Several of the men mumbled their disapproval about what they had just done while a few others actually yelled at them.

"Listen guys, we appreciate the help you are giving us, but you should really have several people around for something like that. It makes it safer. If you two had been hurt during that, or killed, then what would become of those lady friends of yours? Would you let them stay in this world alone?" One of the older men spoke gently to them, but with a tone that said to listen rather than pretend to. It was sage advice, not chiding.

"We are sorry, forgive us. We thought of a safe way to do the job and, since we were done as it was, decided to continue being of help and take the building down before it became a threat of a more serious nature." Lee bowed to the men and didn't raise his head until the man that had spoken to them acknowledged his forgiveness.

"Its quite alright. Just do not do this again. We work as a team on things like that. We don't need to lose any more men."

"Understood sir."

"I am Taka. If you plan on doing something like this again, let myself or Rand know. We head the destruction crew." With that, the man turned to leave. "I must say though, it is quite impressive that you are cleaning up so quickly. You are very hard workers."

Lee beamed at the compiment. He always enjoyed being told that.

Lee and Naruto cleaned up the building they had just destroyed mostly in silence. They spoke slightly of the job and what they had thought so far of the village, but mostly, they wanted to get it all done. They paced themselves so that, as the sky began to fade into darkness, they finished up the last of the cleanup.

"Ah! I see that you have cleaned up everything! Wonderful!" Obi walked warilly up to the boys. He was tired from his duties throughout the day. He made a point of doing just as much work as the others.

"Yup! Told you Old Man, we can keep up any pace you set!" Naruto laughed as he spoke and pointed at Obi.

"So you did, so you did." Obi and the boys walked to the area everyone had eaten their lunches at earlier. A few of the men were already there, and the rest were coming up. When they arrived, Obi sat with a grunt onto one of the make-shift benches.

"Sit down boys, you've earned a rest." Rand sat next to Obi and clapped him on the shoulder. "You've snagged us a couple of hard workers here Obi!" He and Obi laughed at some inside joke.

"We work hard because this village has taken us in. It has shown us kindness. No other reason. Naruto here will probably get lazy after a few days." Lee jerked his thumb at Naruto for added affect.

"WHAT WAS THAT FUZZY-BROWS!" Naruto yelled at Lee as the men gathered around had a good laugh. "HEY! I AM NOT LAZY!" Naruto only got angrier as the group laughed even louder.

Taka came up to the two shinobi and patted Naruto's shoulder. "Don't worry Son, noone believes you are lazy. Sit, we generally talk a little before going home, it is a way of relaxing before we head out and we talk about what we do the next day before we leave so everyone knows what they will be doing." As he spoke, he had sat on another makeshift bench and leaned back a bit with a sigh.

The two sat and waited for the others to begin.

"Now, you two..." Obi pointed his hand at Naruto and Lee. "Taka told me that you had taken down that building. He said he already told you about the dangers, so I won't go into that, I am just going to tell you not to do it again. Other than that, tomorrow, since you got so much done today, you will be working with Jani and Rin tomorrow to clear a bit of a larger area. Now that we know how well you two work, we can start putting you into other teams. We can cover a lot of ground with the two of you I believe." Obi let his happiness into his voice. He enjoyed the light mood those two brought to the other men around them. He only wished it would last.

"Oi, how much is there to clean up anyway?" Naruto raise his hand as he spoke as if he were still in the Academy, even though he never did so there.

"Well, there are still roughly thirty building that need to come down, twelve that were destroyed and still need to be cleaned up and then somewhere around twenty or so that need major work to be useable again."

Naruto's jaw dropped and the only reason he didn't fall over backwards was because Lee shot his hand out fast enough to catch him before he fell all the way back. He didn't notice the shocked expressions about his speed from the men around him.

"It'll take us a long time to clean all that up!" Naruto perked up as a thought occured to him. "Oh hey! We should get some neighboring towns to help us out! The village has friends with some other ones, right?" Silence and shifting feet were all that met him.

"Aw, well that is just wrong..." Naruto slumped in his seat as he spoke. _"Well, this is depressing..."_

Rand threw a pebble and whacked Naruto in the forehead with it just hard enough to spook him and make him slap his forehead hard.

"HA! Don't worry kid, we have friends, but after some of the more recent deveolopments, we just don't want to involve anyone else right now. We want to rebuild on our own. It gives us a sense of pride and community to help out like this." He didn't fully believe it himself, but that was how he chose to see it, and with the nods from some of the others, they liked it too.

Naruto, too, nodded and then laughed loudly. "HEY! THAT IS GOOD! Everyone can pitch in and add something one day and we can make a party when it is all done! I'll be sure to help get it all cleaned up and then we can have a huge party!" Naruto had one of his best grins plastered across his face and was pulsing with energy as he bounced on the bench while he spoke. Everyone couldn't help but wonder what may have been in that ramen.

Obi didn't want to hear any more. He knew that once their job was done, they were gone. "Naruto. You should learn that you need to not make promises that you may not be able to keep." He realized too late that he just dropped the happiness of the group, but it upset him that he would needlessly tell them things like that. He quickly added to his words to alleviate the depression he set them in. "Before we have a party, we have to not only clean up the town, but we have to also get a bunch of people to make the food, prepare games, you know, things like that." He shot a grin at him though it didn't touch his eyes.

"YEA! YOU KNOW HOW TO PARTY OLD MAN!" Naruto yelled in his usual loud voice. "We'll have fireworks and noise makers and ramen stands on every corner!" Naruto was barely able to control himself as he thought of all the ramen he could end up with.

"Aw, c'mon kid! Noone like THAT much ramen!" A man further in the back of the group that Naruto and Lee had learned was named Alan had spoken out.

"YES THEY DO!"

"Oh yea? Name one!"

"Me!"

Alan slumped and spoke in a dejected tone. "Name two..."

"Uh.." Naruto was at a loss. He finally realized he couldn't name another. "Aw man... this totally sucks."

The entire group erupted in laughter with Lee laughing louder than anyone. He had been waiting a long time for Naruto to see what everyone else had failed to show him.

"Maybe now you will begin to eat normal food? A body cannot grow on ramen alone, and seventeen years of it has had to have made some kind of damage. The fire of youth alone cannot keep one strong forever! Even youth must have help!"

The range of looks around the men at Lee's words ranged from totally blank, to some of the strangest looks a man's face could adopt. Speech like that just wasn't natural.

"Eh, anyway... It is realatively late. I am going to go home to Ell. I will see all of you tomorrow." A man that Lee and Naruto hadn't met yet turned and went home with several 'goodbyes' from the others.

Obi got up and stretched. Home sounded like a good idea. "I must agree with Kazi. I am more than ready for home myself. Farewell to you all." With that, he hurried home to Yuri.

The rest of the group quickly dispersed and headed home with their final farewells all spoken at the same time.

Lee and Naruto began walking home when Naruto remembered what Hinata had told him and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Naruto? What is wrong?" Lee looked only with moving his eyes to see if there was anything around that may have caught Naruto's attention and let his senses free to roam. He didn't see anything though.

"Hi-Hinata said to hurry home. We just spent several minutes talking. You don't... you don't think she will be angry do you?"

Naruto looked much like a terrifed rabbit to Lee. He couldn't help but laugh whole-heartedly. And he couldn't help but have fun with it.

"I actually believe she might Naruto. Hinata rarely tells someone to do something. And when she does, she usually expects it to be done. The last time she wasn't obeyed, the man couldn't speak for three days." Lee fought with everything he had within him not to pass out from holding his laughter in. It obviously didn't even occur to Naruto that he couldn't know this information, or that it would not be known the whole village over, but he just paled and ran straight home, dragging Lee by his arm as he went.

"WE GOTTA GET HOME!"

---------------------------------------------

Kakashi was on his side laughing as quietly as he could as Naruto hauled Lee home. It was definitely the highlight of the day. He suddenly realized that he would have to hurry to catch up to them.

_"I CAN'T MISS THIS!"_ Kakashi took off at full speed, mindful of keeping himself in the shadows. He wanted to make it back before they did.

----------------------------------------------

A poof of smoke erupted next to Anko surprised her from the meal she was eating. She wound up swallowing a piece of beef whole, causing her to choke slightly.

"KAKASHI! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Anko whacked him square on the top of his head.

"OUCH! You have GOT to watch this! Remember when Hinata told Naruto to hurry home? He forgot until they were on their way, and Lee told Naruto that the last guy that didn't do what Hinata told him to do wasn't able to talk for three days!" Kakashi spoke quickly in his excitement. He wanted to be able to watch this.

"And he BELIEVED him?" Anko didn't know which was worse. That Lee would say such things, or that Naruto would actually believe it.

"Yea, now let's watch!" Just as Kakashi finished, he heard the door open up and after a pause, Lee announced their arrival.

-----------------------------------------------

Naruto to the door and stopped just short of opening it and caught his breath. He turned to Lee and whispered his warning. "Alright, let's try to get in as silently as possible. Maybe we can pretend we had been talking in one of the rooms for a bit... or.. something. We CAN'T make Hinata mad at us!" His voice was getting almost pleading and Lee was loving every minute of it.

Lee nodded gravelly as if actually considering Naruto's words. "But Naruto, they have been home most of the day, they would have expected us to acknowledge that we arrived whenever we got home. We have no choice but to get caught." He would have exploded in laughter at the look of pure fear that flittered across Naruto's face if he hadn't turned away just in time to scrunch his face for a quick moment before calming down instantly and reaching for the door, pausing just before touching it.

"Perhaps, it would be a good idea to get her alone as quickly as possible and ask her what you could do to have her forgive you?" Lee liked this idea. He really hoped Naruto would figure out what was going on with him and Hinata before too much longer.

Naruto mulled the idea in his mind before nodding his approval. "Mhm, mhm. Maybe you're right. Uh, but.. just as a side-thought. Could you show me a quick Taijutsu block against her Jyuuken?" Naruto was trying more to lighten his own mood, but it helped a little when Lee lost his inner battle and small snickers escaped his lips.

"I am sorry Naruto, but no." And with that, he opened the door loud enough to let the girls inside hear it, much to Naruto's unease.

Naruto flinched back at the sound of the click of the door opening and whispered to Lee, "Traitor!"

Lee laughed as he pushed the door opened and walked in quickly. He left Naruto at the door as he walked to where he heard soft footfalls. The girls were getting ready for an ambush.

_"Better to not tempt their will and risk getting hurt."_

"Hello Sakura, hello Hinata! We're home!" Lee made his voice jovial, but he looked at Naruto with what he hoped was a pointed look. When Naruto nodded, he knew Naruto fell into his trap.

Naruto was just shutting the door when Sakura came into the living area with a wide smile and laugh. "Welcome home! Dinner is almost ready, you two should go wash up."

Lee was ushering Sakura into the dining area saying he would like to speak with her of his day first, though he looked at Naruto pointedly again.

Naruto gulped and was going into the kitchen when Hinata walked in and nearly bumping into Naruto in her haste.

"N-Naruto! Aren't you suppo- HUH?" Hinata couldn't continue as she was being half-dragged upstairs to their bedroom, much to her surprise. "Naruto, what are you doing?" Hinata wasn't worried, she was slightly thrilled. It was just like the beginning of some of her dreams, the ones she wouldn't tell anyone about unless she wasn't in her right mind that is.

Naruto turned to face her, his face completely pale and a thin sheet of sweat over his forehead.

"Naruto, are you oka-"

"Hinata, I'm sorry!" Naruto took her hands in his and got down on his knees and started almost crying. "We got here as quickly as we could! PLEASE don't make me not able to talk like the last guy!"

Hinata was completely confused. She had absolutely no clue what Naruto was talking about, though she thought she understood what he meant about getting there quickly.

"Naruto, what are you talking about? Which guy are you talking about?"

Naruto noticed Hinata asked 'which guy', and immediately assumed she knew what he was talking about, but thought there were more than the one. The whole thing shocked him that Hinata could do something like that, but people had a habit of surprising you in the oddest of ways.

"I told Lee that you wanted us home as quickly as possible, and when I told him that, he told me about the last guy you told to do something and how he couldn't talk for days after you got a hold of him for not doing it." Naruto was speaking quickly as he related the conversation. Hinata understood almost immediately what had happened. It was more than obvious that Lee had played a joke on Naruto and Naruto just didn't realize it. But at least she could have fun with it.

"Oh. He told you about that." Hinata made it sound as if she were disappointed. She hadn't seen Naruto act frightened of anyone really. She had seen him run from Sakura and other angry women, but as she took the moment to think, she realized that he had only ever run from women. He would never back down from a man.

"So, what do you think we should do about your tardiness?" Naruto flinched as he realized he wasn't going to get off easy.

Naruto was silent a moment as he thought of a punishment. He had to do this a lot as a kid when he would get caught with his pranks. It wasn't usually a good idea to downplay the punishment, but this WAS Hinata. Maybe he could get away with it.

"Um, no ramen for a ... " Naruto choked on the words as he spoke. "For a week." That sentiment alone nearly broke him down into tears.

Hinata laughed out loud at Naruto's 'punishment'. It would have been torture for him. But she had a better idea.

"No." Naruto looked up at her with a smile on his face thinking he would get off easily until he saw her face. He thought he saw a bit of amusement, but she looked down at him with a straight face as she kneeled down in front of him. "No, we are going to have a bit of a different path for you." She spoke slowly, letting the words sink in.

"But just so you know, Lee was playing a joke on you." Hinata let the side of her mouth twitch in a smile as she saw Naruto look up quickly and then slowly, he face turned into one of anger.

"WHAT?" Naruto began to get up and stalk towards the door. "I will show that fuzzy-browed little piece of-"

"Naruto, wait. I have an idea." Hinata didn't think Naruto would do anything bad, but she could at least have a little fun with it.

"Let's work together to turn the tables on him?" Hinata waited the moment for Naruto to stop and decide what he wanted to do. When he turned around, he had a very mischevious grin on his face.

"Hehe! What did you have in mind? String around him as he sleeps? Shrink all of his clothes? Make a few shadow clones and henge into each other and make him think he is seeing double? Wh- huh?" Naruto had to stop as he saw Hinata smile and shake her head.

"Naruto, even if I wanted to do that last one, I don't know how to do Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. And string wouldn't do too much as he could just walk right through it all, though I doubt we could get into the room without waking at least one of them anyway. His clothes are only temporary, and Sakura bought them for him, so we probably shouldn't damage them." Hinata watched as Naruto slumped and pouted for a moment as she spoke.

"Well, I could teach you Kage Bunshin, but I guess you are right about the clothes... So what do we do?" Naruto sat on the bed and leaned back against the wall.

_"I wonder if she is going to want me to teach her Kage Bunshin ... I wonder if she could handle it..."_

Hinata sat down next to Naruto and pondered for a few moments. She leaned back against the wall and sat with her side against Naruto's. She could feel his chest expand as he breathed in and the rhythmic beating as he flicked his foot back and forth in thought.

_"Let's see. Lee told me that Hinata did something to keep a man from speaking for a few days after he didn't obey her. It was obviously a lie, but I was so worried that I would upset her, I believed him, so now I feel stupid. But I can team up with Hinata, and we can get him good!"_ Naruto let out a small laughed.

Hinata was on the edge of thinking of something really good when she heard Naruto laugh. She looked over and saw that his eyes were sparkling. "What is it Naruto? Did you think of something good?"

"Oh yea!" Naruto wrapped his arm around Hinata's shoulders and leaned close to her ear so that Lee couldn't hear anything he said in case he tried to listen to what Naruto would do or say to Hinata in his worry. _"Strange, she feels really soft and warm. Its kinda nice."_ He caught his train of thought and quickly told Hinata of his idea.

Hinata's heart was about to pound right out of her chest. Naruto had put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him to whisper in her ear. She could feel his lips moving the air as he spoke, his breath warming her. She sunk against him and listened to his idea. She started to pay more attention to the story though as it became more complicated.

"Naruto, isn't that a little... much?"

Naruto laughed which caused him to shake her with his own body with his arm around her still. "Of course! That is the beauty of it. I was worried I would make you upset and he made me think that you would want to do something bad to me. Fight fire with fire and all that, right?"

Hinata gave a small laugh. She had to admit, it was a bold plan. "A-alright, but how do we start?" Hinata didn't notice that she had started pushing her index fingers together back and forth. She was forced to stop when Naruto put his hand over hers and stopped her.

"I'll show you." He got up and stood in front of her. He put his hands into an all too familiar seal. Naruto whispered 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu' and a bunshin appeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto pulled Hinata up by her hand and pointed at different spots on his bunshin's body as he spoke.

"Help me make a good Henge so that it looks as though you did something physical? Just a little in the way of damaged clothing, I don't think you would do much that could damage clothing. But help me decide on something like bruises and maybe cuts?" Naruto wasn't entirely aware of what the Jyuuken style could do. He always healed almost immediately for most of the attacks. But that would be an easy way to explain why his Henge could go away so quickly.

Hinata looked over the Bunshin, poking and prodding every few seconds to test his skin. It was more out of curiousity of the bunshin than the body, but when she touched him, he jerked away with a laugh.

"I-IT TICKLES!"

Hinata jerked her hand back a little and smiled at the bunshin. She then looked at Naruto and motioned him closer.

"If we assume I am going to be harsh on you, then we can put a bruise around your neck, making sure to show the individual finger markings..." She then looked over his body again.

"Alright, show me." Naruto stood up straight and lifted his chin slightly.

"W-what? You want me to ch-choke you?" Hinata wasn't nervous, she was shocked. He wanted her to actually harm him?

"You can't do it to him, he may disappear. Do it to me, he will look at it and use a Henge. I will examine it after that and we can perfect it. Simple." Naruto shrugged his last comment to show it wasn't a big deal. "C'mon Hinata, it won't hurt, I will let you know if it is too much. I trust you." Naruto took her hands and placed them around his neck.

Hinata didn't do it immediately, it was just too odd. Naruto smiled at her to show he was ready.

"A-alright. But pinch me or something if it is too much."

"Just make sure you do it hard enough to leave a mark. I can make it darker afterwards." Naruto let his hands fall from hers and waited.

Hinata let out a heavy sigh and slowly squeezed. She could feel Naruto's heart beating beneath her fingertips and feel the air slide into him as he took one last breath. She squeezed a little harder, feeling her fingers sink into his skin this time, and his heart began to beat a little slower, using less oxygen since he wasn't breathing. They watched each other's eyes as it continued. She couldn't pull away from his eyes. She could see the light in them beginning to fade. His eyes began to pulse with his heart's beating.

As the seconds passed, Hinata noticed the veins at his temples and in his eyes began to grow. Once his eyes started to flutter, Hinata decided it was long enough. She let him go and he began to cough violently.

"N-Naruto! Are you okay? Was that to long?" Hinata didn't like the crackly coughing he was doing, it didn't sound right.

"Th-" Naruto coughed again. "That was perfect Hinata!" Naruto looked at her and smiled. He got up and walked over to the bunshin, letting it examine his neck thoroughly.

"Wow, she did a really good job with our neck.." The bunshin looked over the discolored flesh and was relatively surprised Hinata could do so much damage with such small hands. His neck was a deep red in the shape of her two hands around his neck and the rest of the neck was white from a lack of blood. He memorized everything and stepped back.

"Alright, did you get it?" Naruto let the bunshin look him over one last time from the distance they were at before he nodded. "Okay, show me."

The bunshin put his hands into the seal needed and used a Henge to show the marks on himself.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto looked over the wound and was surprised as well. He could clearly see Hinata's handprints. "Oi, Hinata. How does it compare to my own?" Naruto waited patiently while Hinata looked the two of them over. She got close to both of them and gently ran her fingertips over their necks, following the path her fingers left on them both.

Naruto felt goosebumps on his skin where Hinata's fingers trailed. It tickled slightly, but her fingertips were warm on his skin, causing the air in the room to seem cold when her fingertips left him. He could see the same problem with his bunshin. They both looked at each other, knowing that what they were feeling wasn't right.

"It is exactly the same." Hinata whispered her words. It isn't impossible, but not common, for a person to be able to Henge so easily. "What's next?"

Naruto and Hinata continued developing the new Henge for several more minutes, giving small details and little things to help them out in their new plan.

------------------------------------------

Sakura let out a loud laugh. What Lee had just told her was the craziest thing in the world, but when she heard the two of them going upstairs, she knew that Naruto had actually believed him.

"What a goof! I can't believe he actually thought you were serious!"

Lee gave her one of his mega-watt smiles and a backdrop of a moon and ocean appeared behind him. "I can only hope that they can use this experience to strengthen their bonds!" After a brief pause, Lee slumped just a bit and continued. "And maybe Naruto will cease being so dense and they can actually begin something other than feinting spells and ... well ... Naruto-ness."

Sakura laughed so hard she nearly fell into tears. "Then there is no hope!" She laughed again followed immediately by Lee.

"They have been up there a little while though..." Lee looked upwards to where their room was. "You don't suppose ..." Lee wasn't sure he should even consider the possability.

"Suppose what?" Sakura didn't know what Lee was talking about.

"You know.. that they might be..." Lee gestured with his hands, trying to push the thought at her. He really didn't want to have to say it. Gai would be quite disappointed in him.

Sakura got the hint. She put her hands up in front of her mouth in shock that Lee would suggest such a thing. "NO! No! I don't think that Hinata would do such a thing! And Naruto can be a moron sometimes, but he has a good heart, he wouldn't do such a thing!"

"Okay, okay! I was just saying... I mean... It HAS been a while since they went up there..." Lee felt a little bad for suggesting it now. In thinking it over, it was a little silly.

"I suppose you are right. It is a little silly to think they would do something like that. So, when was dinner going to be ready?" Lee was ready for dinner, he hadn't eaten as much as he normally did during lunch. His metabolism was just a little higher than most shinobi, but it still came out to be faster than what he had eaten.

Sakura had nearly forgotten about the food in Lee's story. She quickly got up and ran to the kitchen to finish it up. "It will be ready in just a few moments."

Lee quickly set out for the bathroom to clean up. He decided to try and be quiet as he got to the second floor. He didn't think they were up to anything now, but he could still play with the idea in his head. And hope.

--------------------------------------------

Hinata looked at Naruto in amazement. He looked horrible, but he was, for all she could tell, a master of the transformation technique. He saw something, and could mimick it immediately. She had seen him do such a thing before when fighting Kiba and Akamaru during the Chuunin exams, but this was different. He had seen them quite often, and knew them. This was seeing something once, and making an exact copy.

After the throat markings, everything else was Naruto and Hinata pointed and talking about everything on the bunshin. The very bored bunshin who kept telling them to hurry up. As they pointed ideas and such out, Naruto would think a moment and then try them out, until eventually, they had something they thought was complete.

"Alright, we're ready. You know what to do?" Naruto was bouncing in his enthusiasm. He was more than ready for what was to come.

"Yes, Naruto. I will leave ahead of you, quiet, quick and deliberate movements for whatever I do and keep a slightly discontented face." Hinata was slightly thrilled at the prospect of playing a prank. It wasn't something she was used to doing, and it was quite fun to conspire with her Naruto. She felt something within her that wasn't something she had experienced before, and she liked it. Loved it even.

Naruto was in paradise. He hadn't been able to do a decent prank since the Academy days. This was going to be great.

"Yes! Okay! We're ready then. Where are they at?"

Hinata formed a seal and activated her Byakugan to find the two downstairs. She immediately saw Lee in the bathroom, cleaning up his face and hands. She let her focus expand downstairs to the kitchen where she saw Sakura finishing up their meal.

"Lee is cleaning up and Sakura is setting our meal on the kitchen table. Lee will be putting the wrappings back on his hands in a few moments, so we should probably get ready and go within the next couple of moments. We want them to be together when they first see us, right?"

"Right." Naruto looked at the door and sighed. "Hinata, I have on request I need to ask you before we do this."

"What is it?" Hinata didn't like how he got serious for a moment. It wasn't like what he had been building up the whole time.

"Well, you know how I smile all the time. I ... um, could you punch me with a Jyuuken blow in the shoulder? It would help me to keep a straight face. I don't want to ruin this because of my habit of smiling." Naruto almost sounded like he was pleading. Almost. He was just asking, but Hinata knew he was serious.

"N-Naruto... I can't..." Hinata put her hands to her mouth as Naruto spoke, and her words were muffled by them. She was not liking his idea. It was going to be painful, and he knew it.

"Hinata, you can. Without it, I would end up sacrificing all our hard work! You did a great job helping me with this, and I don't want to screw this up. And you don't have to worry, I heal very fast, remember? And you have bashed me in the chest with it before and I recovered almost immediately! It'll be fine. Its just the shoulder." Naruto could tell he was winning her over as he spoke. The truth was, it had hurt like hell when she got him in the chest, but she didn't have to know that.

"Y-you promise that it won't hurt for long?" She knew it would hurt, that was its intended function. But she would do anything Naruto asked of her. And he was right, he did heal quickly, afterall.

Naruto flashed her a grin and scratched the back of his head. "The longer it hurts the better, but I doubt it would. I heal much faster than one would think."

Hinata paused a moment and then nodded. She didn't want to hurt him, but he was right. It wouldn't be bad at all to him. _"He can get through anything!"_

"Okay. Brace yourself." Hinata pulled her hand back and shot a forward jab into Naruto's shoulder with her palm, a blast of chakra flowing through and out the back. She heard Naruto make a very small cry as the blast went through. She looked at the damage with her Byakugan and noticed that she had closed the tenketsu point and his muscle was damaged as if he had worked out hard for a few days on end.

"N-Naruto, are you okay?" Hinata released her Byakugan and looked at Naruto's smiling face.

"Perfect! You have such a great attack!" Naruto didn't bother standing up totally straight. He was going to use the pain he was feeling in his shoulder and back to influence his walk. He wanted to be as believable as possible. "Alright, time to use that Henge we created!" He put his hands into the seal and tried to Henge.

"**Henge no Jutsu!**" Naruto looked at himself as nothing happened. "Huh? What happened?"

Hinata let out a small giggle. He didn't realize. "Hehe. I closed your tenketsu point." Hinata poked two fingers into Naruto's closed tenketsu point and shot a small jolt of chakra into it, opening it back up. As the jolt went through, Naruto let out a silent laugh, it tickled, but he didn't want Lee to hear it. "There you go Naruto."

Naruto smiled and looked at Hinata's eyes as he put his hands back together and transformed into their desired form. Hinata then waited and then watched with her Byakugan as Lee went downstairs.

Hinata and Naruto went to the door and they shared one last smile before Hinata blanked her face and then opened the door and walked out. Naruto gave her about a minute before following.

--------------------------------------------------

Sakura had already set all the food on the table when Lee finally came back into the dining area. She had expected Naruto or Hinata first.

"All ready. Have a seat." Sakura smiled as she spoke. She was happy to be able to to help Naruto and Lee if even in such a small way. She had begun learning a lot from Tsunade, but there was still only so much she could accomplish.

"Thank you Sakura! Trully, your heart is as soft and kind as you are beautiful!" Lee struck another of his nice guy poses, a starry backdrop coming into existance behind him, making Inner Sakura giggle. The real Sakura, however, didn't want to admit that part of herself.

"Lee, sit." She shoo'd him to a chair and sat him down as Hinata stalked into the room. She looked at both of them with fierce eyes, though a slight blush on her ears, and sat down heavily.

"Um, Hinata? Are you okay?" Sakura was worried about what Naruto may have done up there. Hinata didn't look happy. She didn't think Naruto would do anything, but with this side of Hinata, she began to wonder.

"Naruto was late." Hinata spoke in as flat a tone as she could manage. It hadn't occured to her that, without Naruto in the room with her, she would be her normal self again. But she wouldn't fail Naruto. They both worked together on this. She wouldn't fail just because he wasn't there with her physically.

Sakura and Lee looked at each other. They knew that she would have been happy to have Naruto around, but she actually seemed ... angry, or upset.

"Hinata, Naruto and I arrived at the same time. There was nothing, really, that we could do to get here any earlier." Lee was a little disturbed by Hinata's actions. He couldn't help but recall his musings with Naruto on his way over here.

_"Naruto must have told her and they are attempting to upset us."_ Lee looked at Sakura and winked, hoping she would get the drift. She looked at him with narrowed eyes for a moment and he was beginning to give up until her eyes widened and the edge of her mouth tweaked. She finally understood what he was trying to say.

"So, Hinata, what w-" Sakura stopped cold as Naruto's hagged form walked into the dining area. His eyes were partly closed, and his movements were far from fluid. His left arm hung a little in comparison to his right. He had a faint marking around his throat in the shape of small hands and he had a small cut on his left hand as well. The fabric around his shoulder had a small tear with a couple drops of blood on the front of his shirt.

Sakura didn't see any blood on his face, but she knew how quickly Naruto healed. Sakura watched silently as Naruto shuffled over to a chair and sat slowly into it. He plopped down and sat silent and still. Sakura was frightened beyond reason. She was scared to death that Hinata may have actually harmed Naruto. She knew that Hinata was changed by Ino's twisting of her mind, and she knew that Naruto couldn't hurt Hinata if she tried something like that. She was one of his 'Special People'. He would sooner die than hurt her.

Lee was shocked as well. He could understand Naruto going this far to fool everyone, but he highly doubted Hinata would do such a thing. It wasn't like her to do such a thing. He saw all the same markings that Sakura saw, but he also noticed the draw of the muscles in Naruto's neck, showing he actually was straining in his movements.

Hinata and Naruto both saw the looks of surprise on the faces of both Sakura and Lee. It was one of the best feelings in the world to be a part of this with her Naruto. Still, though, it pained her to see Naruto act like he was being submissive. Like he was ... trained, for lack of a better word. She had to admit though, he could act.

"Naruto? A-are you okay?" Sakura still couldn't believe what she saw.

_"This is GREAT! They totally think she hurt me! Take THAT Lee!"_

Naruto stayed still and quiet. After a few moments, he looked, slowly, up to Sakura and put his hand behind his head like his normal gestures and put on as weak of a smile as he could manage. "Everything is fine Sakura! Is dinner ready?" He gave it a moment and then let the smile fade from his face and looked back at the table.

Lee didn't know what to think. He was completely making up his story about Hinata when he saw Naruto was getting upset he couldn't follow Hinata's orders. But here was a battered Naruto acting ... sullen. He looked at Hinata and noticed she still appeared to be slightly angry as well.

_"What happened? Hinata doesn't really do things like that! She is a very gentle girl! Something isn't right."_ Lee looked over at Sakura and realized she was thinking the same things.

"Um, yea. Its ready." Sakura sat down and everyone ate their meals in silence and with a lot of quiet looks.

-----------------------------------------------------

Anko and Kakashi were rolling in fits of laughter. They just saw Naruto and Hinata pull of one of the best pranks they had ever seen, at least in Naruto's case, and this was Hinata's first as far as they knew.

"I can't believe they are pulling this off!" Anko nearly had tears in her eyes. Sure, it wasn't a great thing to prank your teammates while on a mission, but at least it livened things up.

"Naruto has always been good at pranks, but to think he would pull Hinata into it... I wonder how he did that." Kakashi loved things like this coming from his team. It helped support their bonds of friendship. And it also gave for a good laugh when he was privy to watch it.

Anko stopped laughing and only half payed any attention to the four eating below them.

_"Surely he knows."_ She looked over at the grinning Kakashi and frowned slightly. _"Aw hell. If he doesn't, I sure as hell ain't tellin' him!"_

"How has it been progressing on your side of things?" Kakashi leaned on a dresser they had cleaned off a little to use as they made their stay.

Anko sighed slightly as she sat against the wall. This was going to be a bothersome line of thought.

"Eh, the girls spoke with that Yuri woman and got a little more information than what the Lord had to offer, and as they went around to the shops, looked around, mingled, and managed to blend in very well. They got very little information from anyone other than Yuri I am afraid. Noone else was willing to talk as of yet. What about the boys?"

Kakashi grunted slightly and shook his head. "Well, they got a good reputation now for working quite hard. They put them to work together and alone, so there wasn't much of a way to get a lot of information, but they sat with the other men for a little bit and started getting a little conversation going. They will probably get some juicy bits tomorrow. They are going to be working in a team tomorrow, so all the better chance."

Anko nodded absent-mindedly. The group was done eating, so it was time for the next part to begin.

"Wait a minute..." Anko looked at Kakashi with narrowed eyes. "Why haven't you started OUR dinner?" At Kakashi's nervous laugh, she tossed a kunai at his head, slow enough so he could dodge it, but fast enough to get damned close.

"Gotcha. I'll get started in a moment, once I see how this turns out." He flinched noticeably as her eyes narrowed all the more.

---------------------------------------------

Hinata was very happy. She was helping Naruto pull of his prank and she wasn't ruining it. She didn't know how she was able to keep herself from blushing, but she was pulling it off. She was still upset at seeing Naruto act that way, but she was using that as her fuel for keeping her face grim.

"Naruto... did you enjoy the meal?" Sakura didn't care so much about what he thought, but she wanted him to say something, anything, to try and pull him out of his funk.

Naruto looked slowly at Sakura and then back at his food. After poking it a moment with his sticks, he looked at her again. "It was good Sakura. Thank you." He spoke slowly and deliberately. He barely thought fast enough to think to use mediocre descriptive words rather than the higher ones he would normally think to use.

Sakura put on a weak smile at Naruto's comment. She knew he would normally exaggerate if for no other reason than to make her feel good. If he was talking like that, he had to be bad off.

_"He looks and acts like his mind was broken..."_ Sakura had to fight to keep back tears. _"Oh Hinata, why? What did Ino do to you?"_

Lee thought the best way to clear this up was to do as he normally would. Slap Naruto on the back. "Naruto! This meal was fit for GODS! It is a--eh?"

Naruto didn't have to pretend on his yelp of pain. Lee whacked him square in the middle of his shoulder blades, where there was still a very sore shoulder from a previously closed tenketsu point. Naruto growled as he glared at Lee. He realized he was being a little too strong as he looked at Hinata. She had a look of worry letting him know he was close to blowing their prank. He quickly put his eyes to the table in front of him.

_"Stupid! I almost blew it!"_

Hinata got up and looked directly at Naruto. "We are going to bed. Come along Naruto." She turned and left as if expecting him to follow. Just as they had planned on doing.

Naruto got up and followed Hinata out of the dining area and up to their room, all the while, watching the ground and following directly behind Hinata since he could still sense Sakura and Lee following them with their eyes as they ascended the stairs.

Once in their room, Hinata spun quickly at the sound of the door closing. "How did I do? Was it okay?"

Naruto let out a huge grin and let the Henge fall. "Hinata, you were great! They don't suspect a thing!" He laughed as he went over and bear-hugged Hinata, who let out a small squeek from the pressure. "Oh! Sorry Hinata..." Naruto put his hand behind his head as he spoke.

Hinata let out a small giggle and hugged Naruto back. "I like hugs. Hugs are good." She let him go and giggled again with her hand covering her smile. They both laughed from there and each got their sleeping clothes ready.

Hinata turned to Naruto and gave him a small frown. "Um, Naruto, when do you want to tell them that all of that was a joke? I mean, they are bound to figure out that it was a trick."

Naruto gave her a smile with such a mischevious grin that showed Hinata his fiendish side; A side she was really beginning to enjoy. "We don't have to ever tell 'em." His face went slack for a moment before he continued. "Well, now that I think about it, let's go tell 'em after we get ready for bed."

Hinata was confused by his sudden change in attitude. He went from devil to angel in just a few seconds. "Why do you want to tell them so soon? I mean, you just seemed like you wanted to make them stew in the unknown for a little bit."

"Well, it just kinda occured to me... But if they think you beat me, then that could be bad news for you. I don't want to be the reason people look at you like a .. monster." Naruto's voice caught barely on the last word, but he said it enough that only he would catch it. He couldn't be the cause to make them think of her as they do him. Even if most would probably think of her as a hero, it would only take one person to think of her as a monster for him to hate himself forever.

"I don't think they would think of me as a monster, but I suppose I can see where you are coming from. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces though." Hinata gave Naruto a soft smile as she spoke.

Naruto just laughed at her and let her take the bedroom to change while he went quickly to the bathroom. "I'll wait for you outside the door. Just let me know when you are ready."

---------------------------------------------

Sakura and Lee were in the living room when Naruto followed Hinata down the stairs with the same lowered shoulders and blank expression on his face as he left the dining room. It still chilled Sakura down to her bones. It looked ... wrong ... with the frog hat on his head. The flesh wounds he had recieved were still just as visible as they were during the meal.

_"Why aren't his wounds healing? It NEVER takes Naruto this long to heal from something so minor..."_ Sakura stared at his neck as he walked.

"Sakura, Lee, Naruto and I have something we would like to bring to your attention." Hinata spoke sharply. It wasn't part of the plan to speak like that, but it would help, she thought.

"W-what is it Hinata?" Sakura was getting beyond worried.

"Is everything okay?" Lee had spoken with Sakura. She wouldn't explain why she was so frightened, but he could see the way she shook after they had left, and how she had shed a tear before cleaning up the table. She even snapped at him when he attempted to help her.

Naruto stepped up beside Hinata and played with his fingers the way Hinata normally did. "Well, um..." Naruto let his head drop and then he snapped it back with a loud fit of laughter. "OH MAN! DID WE HAVE YOU GUYS GOOD!" Naruto let the altered Henge of his physical wounds only fall and fell to the floor laughing.

Lee and Sakura didn't catch on right away. They were still in shock at seeing Naruto fall to the floor.

_"OH NARUTO! I AM SORRY! YOUR MIND HAS BROKEN! YOU SHALL NEVER FEEL THE FIRES OF YOUTH AND PASSION AGAIN!"_ Lee began to weep as he watched his friend roll on the floor.

"Naruto! Please! Don't let your mind fail now! Come back to us! We shall fight along each step you must take in your path back to us!" Lee hoped his spirited words would reach Naruto, wherever he was in his mind.

"Naruto... What has Ino done to-" Sakura noticed that Hinata was laughing also. And then the vein in her forehead popped right out and she realized what Naruto had actually said. "NAAARRUUUUUTOOOOOOOO!" Sakura bounced up and brought both hands down on Naruto's head as he rolled, not aware of the danger.

-------------------------------------------------------

Obi and Yuri were at their table, enjoying a small meal together when they heard Sakura yelling Naruto's name. They laughed together knowing that they were able to enjoy the night as well.

"NAAARRUUUUUTOOOOOOOO!"

A small boom followed and then they could hear Naruto.

"SAKURA! YOU HAVE A SCARY FACE!"

"GET OVER HERE YOU LITTLE HELLSPAWN!

"SAKURA! PLEASE! LEAVE NARUTO ALONE! HE ISN'T IN HIS RIGHT MIND!"

Obi and Yuri each gave the other a quizzicle look at that. Admittedly, he was wierd, but he seemed normal to them.

"OH, GIVE IT A REST LEE! IT WAS A JOKE HE AND HINATA WERE PLAYING ON US!"

Obi chuckled to himself.

"I suppose that is to be expected. He seemd to have a lot of energy and I was wondering how he would get rid of it."

Obi helped Yuri clean up the table and then they went to rest in front of the fireplace in their commonroom until they were both ready for sleep. And, of course, would have to wait until the group next door weren't killing each other.

------------------------------------------------------

"I am surprised he would think about saving Hinata's reputation. It is something that I doubt many would have thought about." Anko was highly impressed. Naruto, as it turned out, was a very interesting guy.

"He would never allow one of his precious people to be hurt because of him. I am not surprised in the least that he thought about it. I am a little that he thought to do it so soon, but I am glad he did. Sakura seemed a little upset by what she thought had happened."

"I wonder why." Anko asked it in a way that she hoped Kakashi would answer, but she didn't expect it.

"I don't know, but I do plan on finding out."

-------------------------------------------------------

"That was harsh..." Naruto rearranged Froggums on his head and crawled into bed next to Hinata. He gingerly touched the huge lump on his forehead. _"That won't heal immediately..."_

"It could have been worse. But she had no right to do that. I should have closed all of her tenketsu points." Hinata was upset at Sakura for beating up her Naruto, but she wasn't overly happy that she didn't at least TRY to understand.

"Eh, she didn't have a part in Lee's story, so I would be okay with that from her. If Lee had tried, I may have had to get ferocious with him." To prove his point Naruto punched into the air for an added giggle from Hinata.

"You're about as ferocious as a box of kittens." Hinata hugged the blanket to her chin as she smiled at Naruto's sudden pout.

"Hey... they can be pretty ferocious... Ever spill milk on your pants and try to hold a few of them?"

"You can NOT be serious..."

"The little buggers had combat training I tell ya!"

They both laughed at his joke. _"I just wish I was joking..."_

The two quieted down a little and looked at each other for a slight moment.

"Good night Naruto-kun." With that, Hinata snuggled into the pillow and shrank down into the covers.

"Good night Hinata." Naruto yawned and stretched then followed suit. It had been a long and good day.

------------------------------------------------------

The following three days followed much like the first. Naruto and Lee cleaned up various areas and each day, they were set to work with different people. Obi explained it was so they could get experience and meet different people, while giving the men who were already there to get to know them. It also allowed them to ask questions while they worked with different people and get different answers or more information as they go. And it worked.

On their second day there, Hinata suggested nightly excursions to scout the town and it's surroundings. They decided that, since they already knew the town had eyes and ears, that bringing any more attention to themselves aside from being new to the town would be bad, so they wouldn't do that unless they couldn't get any information from the townspeople.

On their fourth day there, the men had ended their nightly meeting when Alan kept Lee behind to talk to him alone.

"Was there something you needed Alan?" Lee decided to regard the man as he did Kakashi, and all other men other than Gai. With respect, but wearily.

"Ah, yes actually. You see, I would like to bring you into a little group that myself and several of my associates are a part of."

"What sort of group would that be?"

"Well, it is a group that is run by Lord Kokoro Enura."

Lee was surprised. This would make things much easier. But he realized he couldn't seem too interested in the idea right off.

"You mean the man who caused all of the destruction and possibly death of who knows how many people?" Lee didn't have to try hard to put a little heat into his words. He was angry at the man for allowing so much death to happen anyway.

"Hear me out boy. He did cause all of this trouble, but there is more than most of the people are telling you." Alan was using his hands to try and show Lee he needed to be a little quieter and looked around nervously.

"What do you mean?" This was new information to Lee. Could there have been more than what they were telling them?

"Well, in truth, it is just a little twisted from what you know, and yes, there is more you do not know. You see, Lord Enura's health has actually been degrading for nearly three years now. He tried to have Lord Kokoro assasinated even, but thankfully, he survived. But since then, Yorino has been paranoid. He actually started the battle. Kokoro and several of the village loyal to him, who were able to tell that Yorino's mind has been faltering, protected and left with him. From there, they had come back, taken whoever would be loyal to him and his cause, and then left again. All of this happened during the second attack. That was the main reason everyone believes it to be Kokoro that was the instigator."

Lee wasn't sure what to do. For one, this could be a trick or trap of the villagers to see if they would turn on them, or this could be the real deal and they are getting a very lucky break in this mission. He had to figure it out.

"I don't know Alan." Lee needed time to think. He wasn't an idiot or slow by any means, but this could make or break the whole mission. "Could I have time to think this over? That is some very new and different information. And, to be perfectly honest, I don't feel I can trust what I am being told." Lee's natural innocence in his mannerisms showed through as he spoke. It helped prove that he was sincere. Or at least appear to be.

"Ah, yes. Of course. I feel I should mention, however, that you shouldn't talk about this to anyone for now. Not even those you live with currently. One slipup and you would all probably be killed, as would anyone who supports Lord Kokoro." Alan kept looking into Lee's eyes hoping to find whether or not this was a good idea. He didn't know the boy well enough, but the scout that had seen him and the Naruto boy their first day here was quite adamant about his strength and endurance. He was happy about the Naruto boy as well, but they would bring them in slowly at first.

"Of course. I will keep things quiet." With that, Lee nodded, turned, and left Alan watching him walk home.

"This had better be a good idea Ichane..."

A figure formed out of the shadows and walked up beside Alan. He towered over the man and had a large polearm strapped to his back. The long handle connected along with an equally long blade.

"He has the makings of an incredibly powerful ninja. He said he had done a lot of physical labor, but his strength shows extensive amounts of it. Also, the way he speaks... we are relatively sure his mind is pliable enough to be a willing servant. So yes, we believe this is to be a good idea. Just try to recruit him and we will see what comes of it."

"Yes Master Ichane. If I may, are you going to be maintaining a watch over them?"

The ninja standing next to Alan was silent a few moments before actually answering. "No. He knows what should be going on, and you made a convincing story, so I think he will do as you ask. Nothing has been done as of yet to show we should be worried. They haven't left their house at night to spy anywhere, and all questions they have been asking have been of a normal inquisitive nature. I believe we should be fine. Just don't forget your place." The man disappeared into the shadows before Alan could confirm he would remember.

Alan sighed and walked home.

_"This is going to be a long series of days."_

------------------------------------------------------

Kakashi watched as both men left. He hurried to catch up with Lee and make sure he made it home without incident.

_"I guess it was too much to ask that we could get this done quickly and without any trouble."_ He sighed to himself and decided to let Anko know what was going on.

------------------------------------------------------

Heh, sorry a LOT about the tardiness. I just couldn't get into writing with all the overtime I was being forced into at work. I need reviews. I know what is going to happen with the battle scene (which, yes, is DEFINITELY in the next chapter.) I had originally planned on it being in this chapter, but, as you can tell, it got horribly long without a whole heck of a lot of story progression. I had some stuff I wanted to get done in this chapter along with everything you saw, but it was just getting too long. I cut off seven pages of text as it was, and this was 47 pages right now. I apologize for not breaking it up into two chapters, but I found that there wasn't a good place to do it. So, an obsessively long chapter for you. Next one may be a two-parter, but should only be one. It may be as long as this one though. I have a short reprieve from work, so I may get it cranked out if I do, if not, then expect a 2-3 week wait. Overtime is a killer. Sad face (PS: Twenty thousand words... I apologize x.x)


	6. Darkness Released

Author's Note Sorry this is so very late. Horrible overtime at work and changed the fight scenes 23 (and counting) times so far. I apologize that they are so horrible, they are my worste part. I just decided I would leave however it ended this time, sorry. I was relatively pleased with the reviews I got for chapter five. Several of you actually gave reviews that let me know what you wanted, liked and thought about the story. I do, however, ask for more reviews and please, please give me more than 'Good story!', 'Awesome', etc. Giving me more is more beneficial to both myself and you as I know what to work on and what you like so far. I have specific questions as well. I will ask them at the end of this chapter. Thankies for everything so far! (One last thing, in response to a question, I made them roughly 17-19. This story is meant for this primary mission and a few other things. After that, I don't plan on continuing it and possibly start another story... just with.. faster updates...)

---------------------------------------------

"Lee! About time you showed up! Dinner is almost ready, now go wash up." Sakura was wiping her hands with a towel. She had worked hard with Hinata to make a decent meal for everyone. The village had managed to get in a shipment of fresh vegetables and other foodstuffs. Apparently, it had been late in coming. They had severe rains in their fields and hometown and it took them longer to bring in their crops than anticipated because the carts kept getting stuck in the mud.

"Yes Sakura! But we must talk over dinner." With that, Lee bounded up the stairs in one huge leap and landed gracefully in front of the locked bathroom door. He knocked gently on the door to see if anyone was inside.

"Yea! Just a minute Lee!" Naruto was as loud as ever, but muffled, if only slightly, by the door.

"Naruto? How did you know it was me?" Lee was perplexed. He hadn't made a sound in his landing.

"Well, I am just good like that!"

Lee gave a small smile shook his head. "Naruto, your spirit is strong and free, but not exactly the brightest light in the house... So really, how did you know?"

The door opened suddenly and a dejected Naruto looked out at Lee. "I heard Sakura tell you to wash up and you said 'yes', so I knew you would be the first one at the door." With that said, he stuck his tongue out and pulled down his cheek at Lee while walking out of the bathroom.

Lee laughed and walked into the bathroom after Naruto stepped out and then stopped cold in his tracks while his eyebrow twitched.

Naruto turned as he heard a smack behind him, he saw Lee stand just inside the doorway of the bathroom and then he was down the hall holding his nose, his eyes perfect circles and pure white. "Huh?"

Lee's voice came out nasally since he hadn't let go of his nose yet. "I think I will wait until the odor has left the room.

Naruto sweatdropped and slouched his shoulders. "Hey..." Then he smiled quickly and put his hand behind his head. "Guess I know how to keep a room secure, eh?" He laughed and ran down the stairs.

----------------------------------------------

"So, you're saying that Alan is a part of the Kokoro's party?" Naruto was barely keeping his voice calm and quiet. They had specified at the beginning the need to do so, just in case they were being watched.

"Yes Naruto. He is giving me time to think it over will expect an answer soon. However, I doubt I should refuse. After all, this is a good chance to get in, and in truth, if I fail to accept, I feel that they would like to get rid of us since we now know."

None of them had really eaten much of their meals. Except for Naruto of course. He, oddly enough, found that he liked the meal of dango a lot better than he had previously. He just couldn't tell that it was made with a sweet sauce rather than spiced. Hinata was maintaining her Byakugan and that was no small feat for her. It had been roughly fifteen minutes. But at least she wasn't in the middle of a battle at the same time.

"MM! So, we can either let you go in, risking life and limb for the betterment of this village and our mission to what could most certainly be your ultimate distruction, or don't, and risk dieing earlier..." Naruto struck a thinking pose and completely ignored the three other shinobi that shrank to chibi size and had sweatdrops as large as their own bodies over them.

"N-Naruto.. why would you phrase it like that?" Sakura whispered her thought, unheard by the blonde boy. Sakura's eyes flared up and she grew to twice her usual size with a backdrop of flames behind her and menacing shadow figures with glowing eyes supported her intent to kill, which finally got Naruto's attention.

"S-Sa-Sakura? Why d-do you have s-such a sc-scary face?" Naruto shrank back and began to step backwards with each pulse of killer intent he felt. It practically pushed him back.

"NAARRUUTTOOOOO!" Sakura half growled Naruto's name as her fist came up, making the flames behind grow in intensity.

"S-Sakura?" Naruto chibi-sized and gave a soft mew as he realized what was about to happen.

Sakura brought her hands above her head and clasped them into one large fist and began her downward thrust.

Naruto's eyes bulged in knowing there was nothing he could do. He watched her fists come down and closed his eyes as the darkness came with a jolting thud on his head.

Sakura dusted her hands with a satisfied smile on her face. "That felt really good!"

Hinata and Lee slumped as they saw Naruto unconcious on the floor.

"You do realize that we had to have his input on what we planned on doing, right?" Hinata looked at Sakura and was somewhat happy to see a sudden jerk and her body freeze.

"Um... oops." Sakura flicked her hand at the other two and gave an embarrassed laugh. _"I should have thought about that..."_

Lee walked over and sat Naruto back in his chair. "This looks to be a long night ahead of us." He, and everyone else sat at the table, waiting for him to wake up.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Eh? Where am -- Aw man..." Naruto woke up to find himself in a large room with water dripping from the walls and pipes along the ceiling. He knew that when he turned, he would see a bunch of large bars creating a door with a single parchment on it that said 'seal'.

**"Hey, Kit. How nice of you to drop by."** Kyuubi sat back and watched as Naruto flinched a moment and slowly turned his head towards the cell behind him.

Naruto quickly spun and pointed back at the demon shouting.

"HEY! WHY DID YOU BRING ME HERE YOU FUZZBALL?"

Kyuubi let out a sigh and situated himself behind the bars a little more comfortably. **"Look brat, I didn't bring you here. Pinky out there knocked you upside your head and because she wasn't thinking, she allowed a touch of chakra into her fist, which brought you to me. Either way, you are here, and as loud as always."**

Naruto sat down in the murky water with a 'Humph' and crossed his arms and legs. "Well, how long am I stuck here?"

**"Until you decide to leave, and figure out how to, or until you are woken up."** Kyuubi laid he head on his paws. This was going to be a long stay. Time outside of the mind runs at a much slower pace than inside, and Naruto didn't have the patience to figure out how to leave on his own. He would most likely have to wait until he just popped out.

"Well that sounds like fun..." Naruto mumbled his reply. He wasn't happy with the situation. "So what do we do until then?"

**"Well, you could crack this seal and let me out to have some fun."** Kyuubi shrugged his massive shoulders when Naruto just glared at him. **"Well, then we can discuss what your options and plans are for your vegetable friend."**

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Nh? Vegetable friend?"

**"The one who is always dressed in green like a vegetable. Has about the same amount of personality as well I believe..."**

"Hey you stupid fox! He's a good guy! Leave him outta this!" Naruto had stood up quickly to defend his friend, but he had to admit, sometimes Lee DID look kind of like a giant pea pod.

**"I heard that."** Kyuubi let the side of his huge maw twitch in the beginnings of a smile.

"Yea, well... What do you think then? This is going to be our best bet. He does need to join, just like they said. We would be a huge risk to allow to live without joining, and if we do, then who knows what we end up being against."

Naruto sat back down as he spoke, but he couldn't decide what he would be looking at when it all came together. This was just too much trouble.

**"Well, in truth, you have no choice but to accept the offer. If it is a trick the villagers are doing to test your fidelity, then it becomes well-known that you would be accepted if they come to you, and also, if all else fails, then you can go right after 'em. But, if it isn't a trick, then you are in. A couple of days, possibly, and you could meet the Kokoro bastard in person and take him out."** Kyuubi didn't much care what happened, but helping the boy out helped him. And he got to have some fun.

"Meah.. good point."

**"You're damn right! Now can you shut up? I am trying to sleep!"** Kyuubi turned his body so that he partially had his back to Naruto.

"Heh-Hey! How am I supposed to leave!"

Kyuubi gave a low growl and stood and stretched. He sat sitting up looked at Naruto with the most evil look Naruto had ever seen.

"Uh, Kyuubi? Buddy? Whatcha lookin' at?" Naruto did NOT like that look.

**"Well, I don't have the patience to try and let you learn, so I'm going to give you a crash course. See ya brat!"** Kyuubi glowed a brilliant red as Naruto began to talk.

"Hey, wait! What are you-!" The red chakra coming off of Kyuubi accumulated in front of him while a small bit held Naruto in place by his feet. After the chakra became hazy enough that Kyuubi looked as though he was under rippling water, it rushed towards Naruto.

Naruto's world became a searing red light, followed by darkness.

"Oh no! I'M BLIND! YOU MADE ME BLIND YOU STUPID FOX!" Naruto held his hands out waving them slightly, when he was smacked on the side of the head.

"OPEN YOUR EYES STUPID!" Sakura's voice was as shrill as ever.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw everyone still at the table and looking at him with a little concern, except for Sakura who looked at him like he was a moron.

"Eheh, sorry about that..." Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head.

"What fox Naruto?" Hinata was looking at Naruto as she spoke, but when he paled to a sheet white, she got worried.

"Heh, uh, just how I think of people sometimes, that's all!" Naruto couldn't tell if they bought it or not, but they didn't ask about it again.

**_"Brilliant, Naruto, brilliant."_** Kyuubi's thoughts weren't directed at Naruto, so he wasn't able to hear them, but he was thinking along the same lines anyway.

"So what do we do guys?" Sakura leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms below her chest. She had already decided, but she wanted to get everyone's input first.

Naruto stretched and yawned as he spoke. "Well, the way I see it, it is just as you guys said earlier. We have to accept. If it is a trick the villagers are doing to test our fidelity, then it becomes well-known that we would be accepted if they come to us, and also, if all else fails, then we can go right after 'em. But, if it isn't a trick, then we're are in. A couple of days, possibly, and we could meet the Kokoro bastard in person and take him out." Naruto stopped his speech with a huge grin.

"Wow, Naruto... That was, oddly concise." Sakura was impressed.

**"HEY BRAT! THAT SEEMS A LITTLE TOO FAMILIAR!"** Kyuubi yelled his displeasure inside Naruto's head, making him shudder a little from the pounding he felt behind his forehead.

"Yea well, it just kinda came to me..hehe!"

"Well, regardless, I believe it should be done as well. Sakura? Hinata? What are your opinions?" Lee was acting much like a normal person at the time. This kind of talking required undivided attention. Not his so much as his companions. And sadly, he knows that if he speaks like he would prefer, their attention would waver.

"I agree. It would be very dangerous, but it is the best course of action." Hinata didn't like the idea of endangering Lee, but she could see the benefit of the choice. And it was a shinobi's duty to risk his life to the fulfillment of the mission.

"Alright then. It is agreed. The invite will be accepted. This will give us a chance to see who is in the village against Lord Enura and possibly get us straight to Kokoro. Lee, you'll agree to it, but try to get a little information out of it in the process. We'll need nightly updates."

"Yes Sakura!" Lee allowed some of his very beloved spirit through in his words. _"Command me my love! The fine spirit of a leader shines brightly within you!"_ Tears had begun to fall in small streams from Lees eyes and a fist was clinched in front of his chest. He was completely obvlivious to Sakura's silent giggle.

_"Haha! What a goof! I'll have to ask him about this tonight when we go to bed..."_

"Alright, alright! We get it, infiltrate, observe and destroy. Fun. I'm off to bed." Naruto yawned and walked towards the stairs with a small slump in his back and shoulders. He scratched his belly and waved his goodbye at them as he went.

"Sleep well Naruto, tomorrow we will see what we can do to get in. I will see what the possability of bringing you in at the same time would be." Lee had to speak louder and louder as he watched Naruto continue walking.

"Nn, 'kay."

"I say we all go to bed. We are going to have to be rested for our plans. No telling how things will end up." Sakura shrugged her shoulders slightly.

The other two nodded their agreement and made what arrangements they had left.

----------------------------------------------

Anko played with a ball of lint she had made from all the dust in the attic. Their whole purpose for this mission was purely observational, and she had gotten very, very bored.

"So what do you think? Has their progression gone well enough for you, or do you think they are going to fail?" Anko rolled her little ball lazily in front of her from knee to knee. She was mesmerized by it softness and ability to hold itself together.

Kakashi looked up about to ask if she had spoken, hopefully getting a rise out of her, when he saw her batting the dust ball around like a cat. _"You have GOT to be kidding me. How did I get paired up with her?"_

"I think they got lucky by getting invited, but I learned at the very beginning not to make assumptions on Naruto's missions. He has a habit of pulling through. Even if not the way we expect, then in ways that we would never even see coming." Kakashi was about to go back to his book but kept watching Anko play with her fuzzy ball. It was ... almost cute. She was putting nearly all of her attention into it.

"Nn, that's nice."

Kakashi's visible eye twitched. _"Alright, maybe ALL of her attention is on it. What is up with her?"_

----------------------------------------------

Naruto knocked lightly on the door after changing into his pajamas after Lee in the bathroom and putting Froggums onto his head.

"Second Naruto. I'm almost done." Hinata's voice came through the door a little muffled and rushed through.

"Alright. Take your time Hinata." Naruto yawned deeply and scratched the back of his head. He wasn't very tired, but he was ready for bed all the same. He had come to highly enjoy waking up next to Hinata. It was a completely different feeling than anything else he had ever experienced in his life. It made him feel normal.

"Okay, you can come in now."

Naruto opened the bedroom door with just a second of hesitation, just to give her whatever last moment she may have needed. When he got inside, the room was its normal self, and Hinata was brushing her hair as she sat on her side of the bed.

"Eh? What are you brushing your hair for? Its just going to get messy again when you lay down."

Hinata stopped brushing her hair and gave Naruto a sharp look. "Naruto-kun, a woman must always look her best. Even if going to bed, or rising and during the day, a woman is to look beautiful. Its in our blood."

Naruto had a completely blank look on his face as she spoke. It was an odd way of looking at things. And a lot of worry too.

"Oh... that explains a lot..." Naruto, being the loud and oblivious ninja he was, also didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. And he was well aware of this fact once he saw Hinata give him a very scary look.

"And what, exactly, does that _explain_?" Hinata's voice was just slightly lower than normal, and she spoke slower than normal as well, which didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, who naturally, got worried.

"J-Just why y-you always l-l-look so nice, Hinata!" Naruto felt like he was put in a trap. _"I hope telling the truth keeps me safe.."_

Hinata was a little surprised at Naruto's statement. She expected him to say something like how girls' hair is always in good shape, but that gave him some brownie points.

"Mm, well, that is because I brush my hair."

_"HAHA! SAFE!"_ Naruto was quite happy. He wasn't going to get beat up by another girl!

Naruto went over to his side of the bed and crawled into it while Hinata was finishing up on the other side of her head with the brush. After a few last strokes, Hinata put her brush on the stand against the wall and got underneath of the covers.

"Ready for the light to go out?" Naruto reached over to the table lamp that was on his side and waited for her confirmation to turn it off. Naruto flipped the switch and turned towards Hinata in the darkness while burrowing under the covers. He couldn't see her features, but he enjoyed seeing her outline in the small light and listened to her breathing. Naruto allowed his breathing to become more shallow and slower so he could hear hers. It was comforting to have someone so close to him who didn't immediately hate him for having the Kyuubi.

**"Of course she doesn't hate you for it. She doesn't know I exist in you."** Kyuubi half mumbled this into Naruto's conscious thoughts so he could hear it.

_"Shut up you stupid fox! She ... doesn't have ... to know."_ Naruto's mental voice was very quiet by the time he had finished his thoughts.

**"Kit, I don't think she would care..."** Kyuubi's voice was kind and gentle. Something Naruto wasn't used to.

_"What are you talking about? She would hate me just like everyone else. Or even worse, she would fear me."_

**"Listen Brat, she is one of your 'precious people', yes? If she is someone who is truly 'precious', then she will accept you after knowing just as she does now."** Kyuubi let a little of his anger slip through in his voice.

_"I hope so."_ Naruto whispered the thought so quietly that Kyuubi was barely even able to catch it.

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was so shocked by the voice that he literally jumped about a foot over the bed with a squeek of surprise. He landed with a few bounces, bringing a low and soft giggle from Hinata.

"I suppose you WERE awake afterall..." Hinata giggled a little harder at her own joke, just knowing that Naruto was going to beat himself up over it.

"Yea, awake. What's on your mind Hinata?" Naruto settled back under the covers and watched Hinata again as she spoke.

Hinata spoke with a slight draw in her words, where they were spoken longer than normal

"Can you tell me a secret about yourself?" There was a very brief pause where Naruto immediately feared she might already know about Kyuubi. "I mean, I want to know something about you that no one else knows."

Naruto didn't know what to do or what she actually wanted. This was one of the oddest requests he had ever recieved.

"Hi-Hinata, what do you mean?"

"I want to know something that only we would know... Something that we could have that is only ours." Hinata silently thanked the silence. She hadn't felt this nervous around Naruto since Ino's jutsu. Though it could have been that she was nearly asleep already.

"Why would you want to know something like that?" Naruto spoke quietly and slowly, trying to evaluate Hinata as he watched her sillouette shuffle under the covers.

"I have seen you grow since our days in the Academy. But we almost never spoke. Or when we did, you usually left before I could say anything of significance. I just want to share a part of your life that no one else has. I watched you train at times, when you thought no one was around, and you tried so hard to get better when everyone called you names and said you wouldn't be able to advance; just to prove them wrong."

Naruto felt a bit of both happiness and sadness. Sad about his past that she wanted to know about, and happy she even cared.

**"You could tell her about me. I bet that would be a good secret!"** Naruto could almost see the rabid beast within him on his back, rolling in laughter.

_"Hey, stupid, you know I can't do that. She would never accept me."_

**"Your choice Kit, but I think telling her would be a good idea. She seems ... different. But then again, there is always that chance she will freak out and try to kill you..."** Kyuubi said it jokingly, and knew Naruto wouldn't think that he would believe it. But the spike of fear he felt from his container made him doubt it.

_"Thanks you little furball..."_

**_"Kit, she already knows about me, even if she isn't completely aware it is me... I think that, soon, you will figure out what you need to do. Until then, I get to keep messing with your head!"_** Kyuubi thought about the different ways he might mess with his dense vessel's mind.

"Why would you care Hinata? My past is not light material to talk over. And every one of my secrets revolve around it." Naruto whispered every bit of his speech, Hinata barely able to understand him.

"So I can't know anything?"

Naruto, hearing the near pleading tone in her voice, almost caved in and gave her his biggest secret. Almost. He couldn't do that though. He couldn't stand if one of his 'precious people' were afraid of him.. Hate him, he could deal with, but fear him... never.

"I'm sorry Hinata... But not right now. How about.. how about after we get back to Konoha? I will try to decide what secrets I can part with, and which are.. well, which I cannot let you know." Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added more so it didn't seem as if he didn't trust her. "It isn't that I don't WANT to tell you, or anyone else my biggest secret, it is just that, I can't. I can't let anyone know my secrets..."

"Can you ever tell me?"

"I hope so..."

Naruto waited a few minutes, but when he didn't get another reply, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

_"Naruto-kun..."_ Hinata waited until she heard Naruto's steady breathing before she closed her eyes against her tears. _"Please... I will always be here."_

-----------------------------------------------

Sakura was sitting on her side of the bed watching Lee sit on the floor across from her with his legs crossed. Lee hadn't been able to bring himself to getting into the bed with her unless both were ready for bed. He turned just as red as Hinata used to when she would be close to Naruto.

"So, do you think that we'll find Kokoro when you go into the party?"

Lee took his hands straight down on his sides to hold himself up while maintaining the crossed legs while he spoke. "I do believe so. If he is the type to not trust those around him, he will most likely want to put me into some kind of hypnotic state of mind to test my fidelity or he may want to just simply gauge my own answers directly from me. Whichever the case, I do not doubt that I will meet him soon."

Lee rotated his body so he was balancing almost upside down on only one hand. Sakura had asked him why he would do this when he worked daily lifting weights and he said that it was simply a way to maintain fluid motion in odd positions to keep himself limber and make sure he didn't shake.

"I suppose that makes sense. I just hope he doesn't do anything to turn you onto his side with some kind of jutsu."

Lee thumped down and smiled one of his sparkly, mega-watt grins at her. "It shall not happen! The burning desire of a happy youth will keep me in my right mind!"

Sakura, now used to Lee's speeches, simply smiled with a giggle.

"Well, as long as that's the case, then we should be fine!" Sakura gave a soft giggle again making Lee blush slightly.

Lee stretched his arms high above his head after finishing his stretches. "So, do you think Naruto has figured it out yet, or do you think he is still overly dense?"

Sakura drew her brow together in thought and gave a slight frown. "Um, from what Hinata tells me, he is still totally oblivious. But, she said something about having a plan for when we get back to Konoha. But she was also very happy about our sleeping arrangements." Sakura laughed with the last sentence along with Lee.

"We should figure out a plan in case we are found out though." Lee's sudden change back to the previous topic left Sakura a little shocked. She wasn't sure he had actually changed except that it was a very specific sentence.

"Don't you agree?"

"Yea, I suppose we should. We will have to mention this at breakfast tomorrow and see what we can get ideas for before you two go out."

After that, they both got into bed and lay facing away from each other. Lee still hadn't been able to sleep under the covers yet. At least not while he was awake. He always found his way under while he slept.

"Lee, one last thing..."

"Yes, Sakura?"

There was a brief pause before Sakura spoke again.

"Choose a number, one to four..."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it goofy!" Sakura tried to make her voice sound upset, but it didn't quite make it with the giggle.

"Uh... mm... two..."

"Then you win a..." Sakura ceased her sentence as she leaned in and kissed a very flustered Lee on the lips. After a few seconds, a few VERY long seconds, Sakura pulled back and winked at Lee.

"Wha-wh-w-what w-was that S-S-Sa-Sakura?" Lee was practically a stone column next to Sakura.

"That was number two. Good night Lee." Sakura smiled and turned away to face the opposite direction and got comfy under the blanket and on the pillow.

A few moments passed before that information actually processed in Lee's mind.

"Then, what were one, three and four?"

Sakura faced Lee and, with a wicked smile, said, "You'll have to figure out the next time we play, won't you?"

It took about two hours before Lee was finally able to even get tired again, the constant ramblings of "youth" and "flames of passion" dancing around in his head. Whether or not he actually fell asleep is anyone's guess.

-----------------------------------------------

Hinata was the first to wake up of her and Naruto. The first thing she noticed as the veil of darkness slowly rose from her was that Naruto was pressed up against her entire backside, his right arm draped over her body, encompassing her in his warmth. The sun hadn't even risen yet, so she nuzzled into Naruto a little before just laying under the covers and his arm, soaking his scent into her and letting the warmth stay against her.

_"Soon, my Naruto-kun, this will be our morning life."_ Hinata sighed slightly as Naruto hugged her gently to himself as he gave a soft whimper in his dreaming. Hinata could feel Naruto snuggle up tightly against her back and move his face a little closer to the back of her neck. His hot breathe was coming out slightly laboured and he let out another small cry in his sleep.

Hinata rolled carefully under Naruto's arm so as not to wake him and watched his face drawn in a disturbed frown as he dreamed. Hinata, remembering what she had seen in his dream, lightly trailer her fingers over Naruto's hair and behind his ears, whispering soft sushing sounds barely even a whisper.

"Shh... Its okay my Naruto-kun. Sleep well. I'm here for you. Shhhh." Hinata was only slightly surprised that he calmed a lot. But she could still see his eyebrows drawn together and twitch slightly as he took in sharp breaths through his nose. Hinata didn't even realize as she started to hum quietly. Still as low as she was whispering to him a moment ago, but without any real tune. Just soothing sounds.

Naruto calmed down incredibly and completely relaxed. He sighed comfortably and scooted closer to the soothing sounds and embracing warmth. When he nestled up against Hinata, she couldn't help but let her body shiver. After a moment of just simply looking at her Naruto, she did the only thing that came to mind. She kissed him chastly on the lips. Just the faintest brush against his lips. She quickly ended it and sat back against the pillow again, happy that he wasn't awakened by her actions, but slightly disappointed. She almost didn't want to have to wait until she returned to Konoha for her to let him know what he meant to her.

----------------------------------------------

Naruto felt warm and cozy, wrapped in his blankets and a very soft, warm pillow. He opened his eyes slowly and took in Hinata's sleeping form in front of him. Her face was soft and was lighted slightly by the sunlight that was just barely begginning to peek through the window with a bit of stray hair over her eyes. He was, as each day they had been there, content to wake up, finally not alone.

Naruto couldn't stop himself. He reached over and put the hair behind her ear and held his hand over her face. Even though he wanted to touch her, he wouldn't risk letting her wake up and being angry for him touching her like that while she slept. Of course, she wasn't asleep, but she wanted Naruto to think he had woken up first and nearly shivered again as she felt him touch her and when she felt his hand hover over the side of her face, she could feel the heat radiating off of him. She wanted so desperately to hold his hand to her face, but stayed still.

Naruto, after only a minute, took his hand away. _"I can't do this. I'm not allowed to love anyone. I can't be loved by anyone. It would only hurt... I can bring only pain to everyone I come close to."_ Feeling very down, Naruto sighed and got out of bed to sit and watch the sun rise from the window.

Hinata saw something she had only seen a very few times, when Naruto thought he was totally alone and didn't have to put on his fake face for anyone. Naruto was quiet, still and sad.

"Naruto?" Hinata's voice was strong as she tried to get Naruto's attention. Very quiet, but strong.

Naruto's only move he heard her was that all of the muscles in his body stood out as he stiffened. They quickly disappeared and he turned towards her with what was very close to his usual smile. But she had watched him for too long to know his mask meant anything.

"Morning Hinata!" Naruto scratched the back of his head and started towards the door. "Sorry, I was just watching the morning, I'll let you get up and get ready for the day! I'll change in the bathroom." Naruto snagged his clothes quickly on his way out and shut the door before he could hear Hinata.

Hinata watched Naruto leave and wanted to cry. He wasn't around anyone that had ever caused him pain, but he looked just as sad as the worst she had ever seen him. But a moment after that thought... she realized something.

_"Wh-What if I somehow caused him to be in pain...?"_ Hinata couldn't stop the tear that fell down her cheek. _"Naruto-kun!"_ Even the voice in her mind was crying as she internally screamed his name.

---------------------------------------------------

Naruto listened to hear if Sakura or Lee were up, but only heard light breathing. They were both sleeping. He went downstairs and was trying to think of what he would do to pass the next half hour before they would get up. When his stomach rumbled hard enough to let him feel it shake his whole belly, he realized breakfast would be the best thing to do.

_"Well, if I am going to cook breakfast, I might as well make some for everyone..."_ Naruto walked to the kitchen and began deliberately looking at what was in the kitchen. It only took him a few moments to realize there wasn't enough ramen for Hinata, let alone all four of them.

_"Aw crap. Well, that meaty stuff can't be too hard to make..."_

**_"Hehe. This is gonna be great."_** Kyuubi couldn't help but bring himself to the front of Naruto's mind and watch the show.

Naruto went to the fridge and pulled out everything he thought he would need, which was a surprising amount.

**_"MWA HA HA! THIS IS GOING TO BE SO GREAT!"_** Kyuubi shifted himself in the mental cage in anticipation. Things like this don't happen very often, and he was going to get everything he could out of it.

_"Okay, I need to cook the meat, so..."_ Naruto got out a large wok and set it over the stove to begin heating up while gathering the meats he would use to put in it.

_"Okay, put the meat in... there we go. OH SHIT! ITS BURNING!"_ Naruto quickly moved the meat around while to keep it from burning the bottom of the pan. _"Ooookay. Keep the food moving, that should be easy enough. Alright, it is brown, so that means its cooked, right? Uh, sure, that works... Now to add the next bit.."_

Naruto began adding some other meats and fried them up a little, then realized that he couldn't watch the meat while cutting the vegetables, so he summoned a clone to shop the veggies.

**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** A puff of smoke later, another Naruto was chopping the vegatables into bite -sized pieces.

"Oi, the meats are hot now, let's add the ve- what was that?"

The clone shrugged while making a face. "I dunno, but it was on the counter and was green. That means a vegetable, right?"

The real Naruto shrugged back. "Works for me. Put it all into here."

"Alright." While sliding the veggies into the pot, the clone thought of something. "Hey, shouldn't we put seasoning or something on this?"

"Mhm, mhm. Good idea, but what kind?" Naruto frowned and thought a moment. " I KNOW!" Naruto snapped his fingers and grabbed all the bottles out of cupboard over the stove.

"If we don't know what goes in, we can taste them and decide what we like. If it is good, we can add it!"

"GREAT IDEA!"

**"HAHAHAHA!"** Unbeknownst to the blonde, his furry companion was crying so hard, the front of his face was soggy.

The clone took one of the bottles and shook a few sprinkles of the dark red powder onto his palm and then licked it.

"Well? Is it good?" Naruto watched his clones face as he mulled the powder in his mouth before his eyes became round and a look of utter terror came across his face. Tears gushed from his eyes as he started hopping up and down. "EWWWWW! This stuff tastes like dirt and charcoal! And its HOT!"

"Oookay, that's out then. What about this one?"

The clone hopped back and pointed accusingly at Naruto. "YOUR TURN!"

"You're my clone! You're supposed to try this stuff! What if any of it is poisonous!?"

"Then I don't wanna try it!" The clone covered his mouth and set his feet. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Naruto grumbled. "This would take too long anyway. They will be on their way down soon."

"Should we just add was smells like what we get on our ramen?"

Naruto beamed at his clone. "GREAT IDEA!" They started adding spices into the pot by smell alone. Sadly, several of the spices smelled very similar to the two. As they sniffed, they added and set their spices off to the side to be put back later. The pepper was their biggest surpise.

After the meats and vegetables had cooked down a bit, Naruto added some water to the pot and added some rice. Turned the stove to a low heat so he woudn't have to keep stirring it and put a lid on it so the rice could steam. He saw Sakura always put her lids on the rice when she was making dinner, so he figured he would do the same.

"Um, doesn't Sakura and Hinata usually make the rice in another pan?" The clone looked at Naruto as he spoke.

"Yes, but we always add the two together, and now we won't have to. That, AND we don't have to clean up more than this one thing!"

"SMART!"

"I KNOW!"

**"Great... two idiots... BUT AT LEAST ITS GONNA BE GOOD!"**

------------------------------------------------

Sakura got up as she normally does. She unwrapped Lee's overly snuggly form from her body and got out of bed. She had come to enjoy the additional warmth hid body allowed her in the mornings, but she needed to make breakfast for everyone. It was something she enjoyed doing. Lee and Naruto seemed to enjoy it and it gave her and Hinata a chance to talk.

Sakura opened the door to go to the bathroom to change while Lee slept; but as she opened the door, she could smell spices cooking in the air.

_"Hinata must have already gotten up. I wonder what she is making..."_

Sakura finished getting ready and went downstairs to help out Hinata, but when she went into the kitchen, she saw Naruto stirring the contents of the pot doing a form of dance that was wiggling his butt back and forth.

"N-Naruto?"

The blonde turned to Sakura quickly and then slammed the lid back down onto the pot.

"Sakura! Good morning!" Naruto scratched the back of his head while flashing her a large foxy grin.

"What are you doing Naruto?"

"Well, I couldn't really sleep any longer, so I got up and was hungry, so I made breakfast for everyone."

"But, you don't make ramen in pots like that.. You of all people know that."

"Hehe! It isn't ramen!"

"What? Really?" Sakura went to the pot, but as she tried to reach for the lid, Naruto smacked her hand with the spoon he had been stirring the meat and vegetables with.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Sakura whacked Naruto on his with the spoon after taking it from him.

"You don't get to have any until everyone comes down for some!" Naruto had placed himself between her and his breakfast. He wasn't going to let her have any until everyone was ready.

Sakura turned her back on him and walked into the living area until everyone came downstairs. She would let Naruto have his moment, but once they were down here, she was going to get into that pot.

--------------------------------------------------

"Naruto, YOU made the breakfast?" Hinata was shocked. What was in the pot couldn't have been ramen, it would never have made sense to make it in that when there were sturdier pots.

"Yes Naruto, it smells quite good! Have you secretly been bettering yourself in more than combat training?" Lee began to talk about the flames of youth and burning desire to succeed, but was stopped short by Naruto's talking.

"Yea, I made it. Now enjoy!" Naruto lifted the lid off of the pot as the three others leaned in expectantly to see what Naruto had created. It really did smell very good. What they saw however, was what appeared to be a base of rice with a multitude of vegetables that were cut so they would barely fit into one's mouth, beef and pork both mixed in and cut just as large and there was even a fish tail sticking out from the side closest to Lee. Still, it did SMELL good... but that didn't help them at all.

"It looks... good ... Naruto..." Hinata spoke in a whisper again, just as she had before Ino's tampering.

"Um... yum.." Sakura didn't know what to think. It looked horrible.

"NARUTO! IT REMINDS ME OF THE CURRY OF LIFE! YOU ARE TRULLY A CREATURE OF PASSION!" Lee grabbed his plate and heaped a few very large mounds onto his plate and then looked expectantly at the girls, waiting for them to get theirs before he he began.

The two girls looked at each other for a few long moments before getting a small amount onto each of their respective plates with mutterings of a diet. Once they were done, Naruto began spooning some onto his own plate.

"Um, Naruto... What exactly is in this?" Sakura looked at Hinata and motioned towards Lee with her eyes. A slightly perceptible nod from Hinata showed she understood. He could be their guinnea pig. He certainly seemed happy about the concept as it was.

"Um, well, whatever I found that I thought would be good in it... I just found a bunch of different things that would taste good. And for the spices, if it smelled like something I got on my ramen, I knew I would like it, so I added it on there also."

"Oh.."

They all watched as Lee took a quick bite and then stopped with a blank look. They began to worry after he didn't make a move or change in appearance for a few moments.

"Lee?" Sakura was not going to be happy if Naruto killed Lee.

Their worries were gone however when Lee's arm disappeared and his food seemed to disintegrate. Had it not been for the constant blur of his arm in front of him, they would have thought the worst. After Lee got a second plate full, he ate at a normal pace with a very strange satisfied look on his face.

Sakura and Hinata looked at each other as they grimaced. They each got a small bit and gingerly took a bite. What they experienced was, in a word, amazing. The different flavors had somehow melded together and practically swirled throughout the whole concoction. It had a little of everything; sweet, bitter, tart, sour and such, but it also had different textures from the beef, pork and different vegetables. Celery that didn't cook all the way through was still slightly crunchy while the carrots had softened and the other vegetables were everything in between.

"N-Naruto! This is incredible! Why on earth do you eat ramen all the time when you can cook like this!" Sakura had eaten Naruto's fish while on missions, and it was never like this. How the boy could have learned to cook was beyond her. All he ever ate was ramen.

"Well, I love ramen! And besides, I didn't know I can cook like this, I just took stuff out of the fridge and put it all together."

The girls shook their heads and continued eating.

"This truly is amazing Naruto."

Naruto beamed at her, but it was short lived as the two jounin popped in out of nowhere, giving the small group a scare.

"AH! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?" Naruto, of course, yelled his displeasure at having been surprised.

"We heard the four of you talking about this breakfast and decided that we didn't want to coo-OOMPH!" Kakashi was cut off short when Anko elbowed him, hard, in the ribs.

"What he was saying before he had a small pain in his chest, is that we overheard you guys talking and wanted to try it out also... but..." Anko looked dispassionately at the meal Naruto had created.

"Don't worry Anko-sensei, it is actually very good."

Anko looked at Sakura and back at the food in front of her. "Um, is that a fish tail?"

The four around the table sweat-dropped. The two Jounin got their fill on plates and disappeared into the attic again. They weren't supposed to be seen by anyone, even the four they were protecting, unless needed. But then, they didn't need to know that it wasn't supposed to be EVER.

The group had finished eating when Sakura narrowed her eyes at a small leaf that was on the top of her food still left on her plate. "Naruto? What is this?"

Naruto looked at what she was pointing at and then brightened as he recognized it as the leafy vegetable. "Oh, that was a vegetable that my clone added to the mix."

Sakura looked at it closely and then at her plants that were sitting next to the window. One looked as though every leave had been pulled off of it.

"NARUTOOOO!" All Sakura noticed was that his eyes became large, round and very frightened before they closed into inky blackness with her beating.

Hinata sighed. "You know Sakura, if you keep doing that, you might give him brain damage. And it keeps making things take longer to get completed because he can't give us his input."

"Well, it serves him right! He put my plant into his breakfast!"

"Hey, Sakura. Where did all the food go?" Lee had gotten up to get some lemonade from the refridgerater and noticed that there was almost no food left in it.

"Huh? What do you mean?" When Sakura looked, she was ready to beat Naruto all over again. "HE USED THE LAST OF OUR FOOD!"

**"That wasn't good at all... That little brat... They were supposed to fall over unconscious or something..."** Kyuubi continued to grumble about the issue. It had turned out far to well. He didn't want to have Naruto have a lot of trouble, of course, but he was constantly trapped within the shinobi where he couldn't do anything. He had years of boredom he had to get rid of.

----------------------------------------------

Naruto had woken up and met everyone in the living room to discuss what they were going to do. They decided that Lee would accept the next time he was approached, but would try to get Naruto in as well. Other than that, they would wait.

"We get it already! C'mon! Let's get going!" Naruto was already heading out the door. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay, but he still hadn't gotten over the morning's events and could really use the small workout to take his mind off of things.

Lee yelled his goodbye's to the girls as he jogged to catch up to Naruto outside. The blonde was already past Obi's house.

"Naruto! You should really learn to use some patience!"

"Yea, but I want to get working."

"YOSH! A DETERMINED AN-" Lee was stopped by Naruto tossing a rock towards his head.

"Hehe! You aren't supposed to talk like that, remember?"

Lee looked at the ground as he walked with Naruto. _"You don't have to be so mean about it..."_

The two shinobi found that they were the first to arrive at the prescribed meeting area where everyone would go about their business.

"Looks like we wait!" Naruto layed back against the stone columns still laying on the ground. He wasn't happy about it, but he would take the extra time to relax. He did allow his awareness to creep out though.

After roughly fourty minutes or so, Naruto was tired of waiting. "WHERE ARE THE OLD FARTS!"

"Perhaps we should go see Obi and see what he knows?"

Naruto sighed and nodded his agreement, then fell behind Lee as they set for Obi's house.

Once at the door, Lee knocked and waited for an answer while Naruto bounced from one foot to the other. As the door opened, they saw Obi answer it through the crack he opened up.

"Ah, hello boys! What can I do for you today?" Obi opened the door up all the way while ushering them in.

"Um, where was everyone today? We waited forever for everyone to show up and noone did." Naruto didn't exactly sound accusing, but it wasn't just a statement either. He wasn't fond of waiting for people, even though he had gotten used to it with Kakashi around.

"Oh, heh.. Sorry boys. Today is an off day. No work. We save Thursdays and Fridays for off days so that we aren't continuously working. Today, most people go out to the shops and take care of their needs, and then Friday is used for pure relaxation."

"Oh.." Both Naruto and Lee didn't really care that they were not working, it was that they had nothing to do now that bothered them.

"Well, this is a good thing. We have had a few days to meet and speak with some of the men, and we can walk with the girls to do some shopping, especially since you used up the last of the food Naruto, and we can use the day to think about accepting the invitation to Kokoro's group." Lee had the whole day sorted out in his mind. They could, hopefully, get quite a bit of information out of some of the people today, and maybe use it to see about who might be already in Kokoro's faction.

"Excuse me? Did you say 'accept Kokoro's invitation'?" Obi looked at the boys in front of him with some worry and apprehension. If the ninja they had hired turned out to have been turned, then it could spell disaster for them all.

"Yea, we don't want to say who invited us, but they invited Lee to join them and we are going to try and use it as a way to get in." Naruto didn't know when to keep his mouth shut sometimes, but at least he didn't let Obi know Alan had brought them in. There was no telling what he would do if he knew who was in on it.

"I see. Just remember, he can control minds. Try not to get too close."

"Alright! Well, now that we know we are off for the next two days, we will be off! We've gotta get to the market with the girls!" Naruto waved to Obi and held the door opened as Lee exited. "Thanks Obi!"

Naruto and Lee went back home and explained the situation to the girls. After a lengthy, and loud, monologue by Sakura about what makes a proper meal, everyone left to go to the market and do some simple grociery shopping.

The group left and went to a small produce stand that the girls had come to love. It was run by a woman who looked younger than her age who wore a smile as bright as Naruto's. She was selling her vegetables today at a lower price since they were mostly a few days old now.

"Hello girls! Up bright and early again today I see!" The woman laughed and waved happily as the foursome neared.

"Hello Tyre! How are you today?"

"Good, good. So, what brings you in today? You just bought some grocieries yesterday." Tyre looked at them with a slightly confused look. _"They bought enough to feed them for a few days at least..."_

"Well," Sakura offered Naruto a death glare, causing Naruto to smile sheepishly. "This, _wonderful_ friend of ours decided to make us breakfast, but he used all our meat, almost all our vegetables, and he even used my plant off the windowsill!" By the end of her rant, Sakura was angry all over again. And Tyre's melodous laughter didn't help much.

"So, I take it then, that this must be the infamous Naruto!" Tyre pointed her finger at Naruto as she spoke. "I've heard some interesting tales about you, Young Man!"

Naruto, always one to get easily worried about what may have been said, immediately followed with a witty reply, "Huh?"

"Now, now, please be kind to Hinata! She is a blossoming young woman who shouldn't go hungry you know!" Tyre flashed the group a smile that was frighteningly like Naruto's again.

Naruto was instantly at ease by the woman. It took him a moment to think of what to do to respond to her, but then he flashed her a grin himself and wrapped an arm around Hinata's waist, elliciting a "MEEP" out of her.

"YUP! And she's all mine too!"

Hinata, even with Ino's tampering, couldn't help but blush a deep crimson with his comment, making Sakura, Lee and Tyre laugh loudly.

The group made a little small-talk as Sakura purchased some produce for the next few days and then they all went off to get some meats from another store.

"She was nice, I liked her!" Naruto hadn't yet taken his arm off of Hinata as they left Tyre's stall, so his ribs were easy prey to Hinata's elbow. "OUCH! What was THAT for?"

"Remember, you're mine here. And no husband or .. future husband of mine will talk about other women with that tone!" Hinata, though she had a joking tone on her whole comment aside from the 'future husband' bit, made Naruto cringe at the thought of making her angry.

"You could've told me first then..." Naruto rubbed his aching side as Sakura and Lee beamed with happiness at the two of them. Neither Naruto or Hinata had noticed when Sakura snorted trying to hold in her laughter as Hinata had spoken.

--------------------------------------

Naruto had begun humming while he and the others walked towards the butcher's shop. He was in a wonderful mood and didn't really know what had changed since the morning, but he was just happy to be in the town.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned his head to the side only to get a close up view of Sakura's face. After his initial yelp of surprise and leaning back quickly, he gave her a suspicious look.

"What?"

"Where did you hear that song? It was kind of pretty. A little sad or maybe just slow, but really quite pretty."

"I dunno, I didn't even realize I was humming." Naruto was half mumbling his words as he looked around while they walked.

Hinata recognized it; it was the one she had hummed to him that morning.

The group stopped their idle talking as they came up to the butcher's shop. They saw a woman run from the doorway and down the road into a house.

"That doesn't look good." Lee stopped with the others. There were almost no people around the shop right now, and there had been several people in the road mere moments ago.

"What do you guys wanna do?" Naruto cracked his nuckles hoping for a yes to his real question.

"We have no choice. This could be information to what we need, or it could just be someone causing trouble. Either way, we can help."

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto took off at a fast pace and the others quickly caught up with him. When they got to the door, Naruto went through with a jingle of the door's bell and saw a tall man holding a child up by the front of her shirt with what could only be the girl's mother clutching the man's pant leg as she lay on the ground in tears, begging for him to let her go.

"Oi, what the hell! What do you think you're doing to the girl!" Naruto, ever since his days as a child, could not bear to see a child treated like this. He decided to let plenty of killer intent go out to the doomed man in front of him, though he was oblivious to it.

"Oh not much, kid." The man let the girl hang limply in his hand while he gave Naruto and his friends a look - over. Apparently, he saw nothing to worry about. "You see, I was a little short on money and the girl and her mother were generous enough to offer me some food. Now, scurry on along." The man turned back to the girl and continued to tease her about crying.

"Let her go you ass! Are you so pathetic you have to pick on little girls in a BUTCHER SHOP? That is just pathetic!" Sakura was furious, and Inner Sakura kept calling out for blood.

The man turned to face Sakura, anger clearly plastered on his face. He tossed the girl aside a little, but thankfully, not enough that her mother couldn't snatch her before she hit the floor. She took her and went behind the counter to try and hide from the man as he walked up to the group at the door.

"Missy, you're going to regret having such a big mouth. That is, unless maybe you wanna let me show you what it would mean to be a woman." The man, by now, was two steps away from Naruto and cracked his joints in his hands and neck with a huge grin.

Sakura's eyes became nothing but slits as her anger took over. She shoved Naruto out of the way while ignoring his scream as he hit the wall with a heavy thud. The man looked a little shocked to see the blonde boy fly a good ten feet into the wall and hit hard enough to shut up his scream.

"**PEEERRRVVVEEERRRTTT!**" The killer intent radiating off of Sakura was enough to make the man in front of her realize he was screwed.

"Oh shi-" The man was stopped as Sakura's chakra infused fist pounded him into the floor. Unfortunately, she didn't stop there however, she punched him repeatedly into the ground.

"Uh, Sakura, we don't want to kill him..." Lee normally would have done the same thing, especially after what he said, but if they could get any information out of him, then they didn't want to kill him. "If you kill him now, we can't get information out of him, but if you get the information first, then you can always kill him afterwards!" Lee REALLY hoped he sounded convincing.

**"BLOOD! SCREAMS! PAIN! KIIIIILL THE PERVERT!"** Inner Sakura didn't want to quit. This guy had it coming. Whether it was a good thing or not, she did cease her beating. Lee had a point afterall.

"Fine..." Sakura growled the word. She rather enjoyed beating perverts.

"Hin-Hinata.._Snort_ your ramen's the greatest.._Snort_ Naruto was still laying on the floor, sleeping peacefully and a large, goofy grin on his face, the drool pooling beneath his face.

Hinata smiled and went to wake Naruto up while Sakura dusted herself off. A final kick in the man's groin and she put her usual smile on and stood looking very proud of herself.

"Who the hell are you guys?" The man was picking himself up, black eyes, puffy lip, knots on his forehead and all.

**"PEERRVERRT!"** Sakura clenched her fist in front of her and took a menacing step towards the man again. He turned and saw that she-devil again and fell flat on his butt and scurried over against the counter.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU HARPIE!"

_"He... he has got to be the most idiotic man I have ever known. And.. he's as good as dead..."_ Hinata watched as Sakura threw her hand back to give him a finishing blow and put him out of his misery for a few hours if not days.

"Sakura!"

Sakura held off and looked at Lee. His voice rang of unquestionable authority. She couldn't help but think how odd that was with his eyebrows in the shape of a "V" like that.

"Not right now." Lee walked up to the man and stood a few steps away from him. "Why are you bothering that child and her mother and why in a butcher shop of all places?"

"I don't have to answer any of your qu-"

"If you don't answer my questions, then you answer to her." Lee indicated Sakura with his thumb, and watched as the man turned pale.

"I was to-AHHH" The group watched as the man clutched the sides of his head for a few seconds and screamed. After he quieted down, he got up with enough speed that he actually surprised Lee and shouldered him aside then ran through Naruto and Hinata out the door and down the road.

"That... was weird..." Sakura was peeking out the doorway while the two boys had already stepped outside and watched him leave.

"I think he knew something. But why would he grab his head like that?" Hinata heard the actual pain in his voice. She knew it wasn't just some odd ploy to get out of there and not have to face Sakura again. Though it wouldn't have been a bad idea. She would have to mention it to Naruto.

"If he was under the influence of Kokoro, then it could have been some mental barrier to keep him from disclosing any information to outside sources or unknown people. Ino's family can do similar things, but it isn't perfect. Then again, he could just be crazy..." Sakura filed all of what had happened to sort and think through later.

The group went back inside to make sure the woman and her daughter were okay, but found them being consoled by the man behind the counter. They just stood and waited a few minutes until the little girl had stopped crying and then let the man speak.

"Thanks for the help there, but he wouldn't have done anything serious. He would have taken the food and left. Now, he is going to report and there is no telling what we're in for. I suggest being scarce for a few days."

"Who was that guy?"

The man behind the counter sighed and rested his elbows on the counter. "His name is Etreyu. He was originally a nice guy that enjoyed to help people around town. He was originally a farmer, but lately he has been ... _acquired_ ... into another line of business." The man sighed again. "He works for an evil man now. And you probably just pissed him off. Tell me what you want, and get out of here as fast as you can. You'll be happier if you do." Noticing this as a dismissal, the group got some basic meats and left.

Halfway from the butcher's to their house, the group began talking about what this could do for the, but Sakura stopped them, not wanting to say anything out in public. After turning onto their own road, they managed another twenty steps before Alan walked up to them with a loud greeting.

"HELLO LEE! HOW ARE YOUR SPIRITS TODAY?"

Lee's initial reaction was to stop immediately and a backdrop of a blazing sunset over water formed behind him. "YOSH! ALAN! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH, LOVE AND LIFE BURN HOT AND BRIGHT WITHIN YOU! THE DAY IS NOW INFINETLY BETTER WITH Y-OOMPH!" His ranting was cut short with a powrful fist to the top of his head by Sakura.

"Down boy!" Sakura's vein in her forehead was only slightly visible. _"Maybe thinking of his enthusiasm like a puppy was a bad idea... But he is just so darn cute when I think of him with big, floppy ears!"_

"Ah, yes..." Alan had stopped short, hand still raised in greeting and he watched the man he was supposed to recruit get pommeled by a small woman with bright pink hair. "Anyway, Lee, if I may, I would like to speak with you a little. And you needn't worry my dear, your love will be back momentarily!"

Sakura had the decency to blush a very deep crimson that rivaled some of Hinata's best. "Ah, yes, thank you..." She gave one last glare back at Lee before striding back to the house with Hinata following.

"Oi, oi! What about me? Can I talk too?"

"I am sorry Naruto, but I had hoped to speak with Lee about personal matters and I would like his input if that would be okay?"

"Alright, don't take too long Fuzzy Brows! Sakura will kill you if you do!" With that, he hurried to the house so as not to risk angering the girls.

Lee turned to Alan after Naruto as a far enough distance away to not hear the conversation's beginning. He noticed Alan had lost most of his earlier cheery self.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Alan?"

"Have you thought about my proposal? I assure you, the benefits are great." Alan had to make sure get this boy into Kokoro's group. He had incredible potential if in pure strength alone, but if that could be trained properly... Alan couldn't wait for the possible rewards his Lord would give him for such a find.

"I have. I would be willing to join, but I do have two things to mention."

Alan didn't like the sound of that, but he couldn't let himself get worried over the unknown as of yet.

"What would that be? You may bring anything you like to my attention, I am here to make this simple and easy for you."

"First, I told you that I wanted my friend Naruto to join. He is with me or I with him. I refuse to keep from from my friends." Lee allowed a moment for Alan to take that in and when prompted, he continued.

"Second, we had a problem with one of your men we believe."

Alan allowed a brief shudder to go through him. The men following Kokoro could only admit as much if they had permission. That they found out he was one of Kokoro's would be a problem. Those who found out didn't live long.

"Surely, there must be some kind of mistake, how would you know it was one of our men?" Alan flinched slightly as he watched Lee's face turn dark.

"We went to the butcher's to get some meats and he was in there with a little girl held up by the front of her shirt while her mother layed at the man's feet, begging for him to release her all for the meat that they were picking up."

"I am sorry Lee, but I don't think it could have been one of --"

"It was. Sakura got angry when he made ... unpleasant ... comments and beat him. When asked what he was doing, he said he had come to town to tell all the shops to make their food ready to be acquired. I am sorry to tell you this, but if most of this party is like him, I feel I will have to renounce mine and Naruto's admission into the group."

"I assure you Naruto, this is quite a travesty! I will find out what happened and get it resolved." _"Once you meet Kokoro, whatever morals you live by will be lost to the need to serve Lord Kokoro. Hehehe! Noone can fight His will!"_

"I hope so Alan. Now, if you will excuse me, my stomach has been feeling uneasy all day. I would like to go home and rest."

"Of course Lee, of course. I will go and see what I can find out about this man." Alan watched Lee walk home without a goodbye. _"Fool."_

_"He lied. I didn't learn to read people's body language for nothing."_

------------------------------------------------------

"What do you think Anko?" Kakashi poofed into the space next to the woman who had as of earlier that morning, doubled the size of her lint ball. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he was already reading from his infamous orange book.

"This Alan man is dangerous. Lee was able to tell I believe. But something worries me. If this Kokoro is as strong as they make him out to be, what could this do if he gets a hold of any of them? They have pretty decent chemistry on this team. Almost everything seems to flow well with them I am worried what might happen if Kokoro is able to control any of them. They are each powerful in their own right, and if any of them are forced to fight each other, I am unsure how it can play out, especially if we end up getting into the mix." Anko flattened her new toy and, using chakra, quickly formed it into the shape of a rabbit. "HA! DUST BUNNY!"

Kakashi sweatdropped as Anko held up her creation to him with a pleased smile on her face. _"She has REALLY got to find something new to do."_ He idly watched her as she placed the fuzzy statue next to the cat and dog she had already made. _"Hmm... I wonder what would happen if I..."_

"Anko?"

"Huh? What?"

"Doesn't making those things get tedious?" He was glad his mask hid his very Uchiha smirk from the woman as she scowled at him.

"There isn't anything ELSE to do around here when they get home!"

Kakashi thought his plan through one more time for just a moment before flipping out an orange book from one of his pockets.

Anko almost laughed as she saw Kakashi with two of his orange books, one in each hand. "Um, Kakashi, I doubt that even with the Sharingan, you can read two books at once." She started as the second book he had flew through the air at her. He hated the idea of doing it that way, his books were about as precious to him as Naruto's friends were to him. He did not, however, want to get near her as he handed it to her, so that was the best he could offer, and this could be worth it.

"It really does have a lot of plot and they truly are good books. Don't hurt it, but read. It is more interesting than..." He paused as he looked at the beginnings of her little zoo. "Well, collecting dust from wherever we hide and make little creatures."

Anko had the decency to blush, ever so slightly at realizing how bored she had been and more importantly, the fact that she was actually going to listen to the pervert and read the books. _"Damn... This is low... even for me..."_

"Can you watch the brats for a few minutes? My stomach isn't feeling well again." Anko always had a very strong stomach after what Orochimaru had done and put her through, but for some reason, she kept feeling queezy.

"Yea, but make it quick if you can. I just did what I needed to and I can't help but feel as though it won't be long before I have to go again." Kakashi paled thinking he would have to go through that horror again.

"What the hell could be causing this?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, the darkest demon himself had to bring it into this world."

Anko looked at Kakashi with a frown most adults give children who are on the last nerve of their parent. "It isn't THAT bad, and besides, I haven't seen anything around town to indicate some kind of illness. I think it was that chicken you made last night."

"HEY! You're the one who said you wanted meat!"

"YEA! BUT I DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD GET IT FROM THE LORD'S COUP! THAT WAS JUST ASKING FOR TROUB- Never mind, gotta go!" With that, Anko burst into smoke and left to get rid of the vile pains for a little while.

Kakashi sighed mentally to himself. _"She's probably right.. I really didn't think that those may not have been usual herbs he was growing either..."_ Kakashi prepared himself for a long vigil before realizing she had taken his book with her. Smiling, he sat down and raised a floorboard where he was keeping his own set of dust bunnies and placed the one he had created earlier with the group. _"What she She-Devil doesn't know...hehe."_

---------------------------------------------

"Lee, what happened? Did Alan say anything we should know?" Naruto had waited impatiently at the door until Lee managed to come through. He was ready for action. Time in the town was great and he felt like a normal person, but he just couldn't shake the boredom.

"Alan claimed to have not been aware of such despicable behaviour within his ranks. He claimed to go and find out what had made the man decide to do such a thing."

"Claimed? You used that word a few times."

Lee was only moderately shocked that Naruto would have noticed such a thing. "That I did. I am a Taijutsu specialist. My life, when in combat, relies not only on my speed and strength, but my ability to read others' bodies to predict what they are thinking to the affect of knowing how they will react. I have perfected this to quite a degree, Gai-sensei made sure of it. It also means I can, much of the time, tell when someone is not being fully honest. He was lieing to me. Also, I told him I would not come without you and that if he didn't take you with me, I would stay. He never told me anything about that." Lee's large eyebrows knitted together as he realized something.

"Naruto, where are the girls?" Lee noticed that Naruto's gaze fell to the floor.

"Um, well, they weren't feeling very well at all. Hinata went immediately to the bathroom and Sakura told me I was an idiot for ... uh... something about.. something and being evil for my 'damned natural defenses'."

"What?"

"Well, apparently, my breakfast didn't mix well with their stomachs. Hinata was nearly at the breaking point... she is a little sick, with a very upset tummy, and Sakura would be the same, but she said that since there is only one bathroom, she would let Hinata have it while she meditated and allowed her chakra to work on her stomach."

"But Naruto, we too ate the meal, why aren't we sick as well? I mean, my stomach is upset, but nothing bad. A little rest and I will be fine and I ate much more than anyone."

"Yea, well. I guess that since you train your body so much it works okay enough to help you out, and I never get sick, I can eat anything without anything bad happening." Naruto wasn't sure if it was the Kyuubi allowing that or when he was forced to much less respectable means of surviving as a child, but either way, he felt bad for what the girls were going through.

"I ... see." Lee looked deep in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Then you shall not cook again Naruto! It is simple!"

Naruto almost wanted to cry with the simplicity and how easily he got off the hook. At least for now.

**_"That... was nowhere NEAR what I was hoping for."_** Kyuubi sulked and, had he not been a demon, would have cried. **_"I AM SO DAMNED BORED!"_**

A bit later that night the girls had gotten better. Sakura had told them it was a minor case of food poisoning but that because their bodies had been trained since they were very young to endure harsh situations, it barely affected them. She didn't want to tell them how bad it really was; she couldn't do such a thing as to describe what Hinata had gone through and what she had barely been able to stave off. It was just too gruesome.

Lee recanted the short talk with Alan and they decided they would have to try and make some quick advancements to try and get to Kokoro. The boys didn't have a whole lot of trouble without training since they were lifting large bits of houses and such each day, but the girls had done next to nothing. They would only lose some of their edge as time wore on.

---------------------------------------------------

"Yes, Alan. I am well aware of the newcomers into the town. Etreyu has told me about them. He won't be failing me again however."

Alan shuddered in his bowed position in front of his master. He was not very pleased with how things had been progressing.

"M-Master, the boy I told you about, Lee, he is incredibly strong. He has potential to be a great asset to you and your ranks. He has what seems like an adopted brother he would have join as well. They are both quite strong actually, though Lee is much more valuable. The women I feel you would find pleasant in your harem as well should you so desire." Alan stayed silent and still. After saying what he had to say, he waited for his master to speak so he could reply. It was a quick lesson to learn.

_"Hmm. I saw the group in Etreyu's mind as I stole his memories, but this wretch did give me some interesting information. Perhaps I should see about bringing them in. I will need all those I can get who will willingly sacrifice themselves to give myself the title of Shodai... Yes.. I believe this will be quite nice. I will just step up the attack plan from five days to morning tomorrow. The lack of honor to my men will be a good reason to finish off those fools. I'm coming to take your abilities Father. I will make myself stronger!"_

Alan chuckled to himself as he mentally commanded his men on their new plans. The earlier attack would be better for his plans anyway. He set about getting the seals ready to call upon tomorrow.

_"I will absorb the chakra of all of my sacrifices and pull their techniques right out of their weak minds! Once I am through with this ... _place_ ... I will have nothing left to hold me back or to hold against me. And from there... I will spread out and _dominate!_"_

Kokoro began contemplating the spread of his reign as he continued his work, a depraved chuckle escaping his lips every few moments.

---------------------------------------------

Lee woke up in his usual position. As completely against Sakura's back as he could get with his arms wrapped possessively around her. The difference, however, was that she was awake before him this time, and had been watching him sleep. When he opened his eyes, he saw her's watching him as if studying him for one of her medical jutsus.

_"Oh please don't let her be thinking that!"_ Lee was nearing panic.

"Whu-what are you looking at Sakura-chan?"

It was a few seconds before Sakura spoke, and in that time, Lee began to fear the worst.

"When you don't shout about the fires of youth and you take the time to relax, you radiate this calm sense of security and peace. When you were sleeping, your breathing was slow, and methodical and I could easily see you as Lee-kun rather than Lee."

"Huh? There's a difference in me and me?"

Sakura giggled one short, throaty laugh before replying and scooting closer to him. "Lee is a loud man who yells about passion and fire, youth as though that alone is what spins the world and about unrequitted love. Lee-kun is a quiet man who can prove those very things in what he does and strives for rather than yelling it out. The first, people can see the passion and truth in the words, though they may not believe them, and the second... The second they can FEEL them. We can acknowledge each of these things and latch on to it and bring them about. Both are you, but you never seem to let Lee-kun out."

Lee had never had such things told to him so eloquently before. Yes, TenTen and Neji, more often than not, told him to shut up and that he could yell those things to his heart's content, but never had they told him that there was another way to confess how happy he was just to exist and see all those things in life. But there was still one question on his mind.

"How?" He watched as Sakura studied him a moment longer.

"I could tell you, and you would know it, but may not believe it... Or I could show you, and you will know with complete certainty. So I will show you again."

"Agai-mmm"

He was forced to shut up this time as Sakura kissed him for the second time in his life. It wasn't a hard kiss. She barely pressed in to him, but he could feel the softness of her lips and the heat radiating from her. He could feel emotions through that kiss that he had thought of before, but never really KNEW what they felt like. And he understood her completely. It was just said in a way that he, of all people, should have been able to understand, but had only ever heard one other way; actions speak louder than words.

It was a few very longs seconds before the kiss ended and once it did, Lee couldn't help himself, he kissed her back.

---------------------------------------------

Alan was waiting for the lead scout to come by. Lord Kokoro should be arriving with the break of dawn. He wanted to make sure the whole town woke up to his hold of the town. It would only be a few more minutes before it all began.

After five minutes of tense waiting just outside the town's outer fringes, the lead scout was simply there, next to Alan, making him jump.

"Don't be so jumpy Alan. It will begin in ten minutes when the light from the sun hits the town. We have already surrounded the town. Make yourself scarce." With that, the man was gone again just as he had come. There was no smoke or gestures. He was there and then he wasn't.

"Damn sneaky bastards." Alan decided the best thing he could do was go home and stay there. He had his orders, and they wouldn't matter until the town was cleansed.

---------------------------------------------

Hinata loved the mornings lately. She would wake up and feel herself surrounded in Naruto's gentle embrace. She didn't know how she was going to go back to waking up alone in her own bed, but she felt she had a good plan for that. Tsunade would probably love to help her out with it too.

Thankfully, however, today was still a day where she was surrounded by his warmth. _"Soon, Naruto, you will be mine. I can't expect things to change without helping them along."_

Hinata let herself in his arms as they lay there, her back against Naruto's chest, unaware he was awake and thinking how much he enjoyed having someone so close. He wouldn't wake her up for as long as possible Hinata let herself lay there contentedly as the rays of the sunlight coming through the window began to lower towards the floor until about halfway down, then she began to feel chakra spikes around the village. She felt Naruto jerk towards the window as she tensed and felt the spikes to get an idea of what may be going on.

"The hell?" Naruto lept out of bed and changed his clothes right there at the foot of the bed so fast that Hinata didn't even have time to realize he had done it before he flew out the door. Hinata, realizing he was planning on leaving to see what the problem was, left right after him, still in her pajamas. She found him in the hall on the ground after running into Lee.

"Naruto, we must get ready and all go see what the problem is together. Sakura is currently getting her clothes on." Lee then noticed Hinata standing outside her's and Naruto's door. "Hinata, you should get dressed as well." Hinata left to take what time she could use from what Lee had managed to buy her.

After everyone quickly congregated in the living area, they checked their equipment, hidden to try and maintain their cover if possible or need, and headed out the door to where the spikes felt the strongest.

---------------------------------------------

Kokoro was walking behind a wall of his strongest men. The five of them were a wall of ninjutsu that destroyed anyone in their way towards the house of the Lord. His most prized friend, and ninja, walked along beside him. Partly protection from the random strike but mostly so he would be close enough when the time came for his sacrifice if he broke too far from his hold.

_"Its time for the end Father. I will gain the title of Shodai by absorbing everyone's chakra and will become the strongest shinobi."_

Kokoro took great pleasure in watching his village fall. Sure, he had brief moments of remorse for the lives lost, but that was merely because many of them fell without becoming his sacrifices. This was his first step. If he could accomplish this, then he wouldn't have problems in the future. He would be able to break any ties and bonds that he found later. This would ensure that.

"Ichane."

"Yes Master Kokoro?"

"Remember, you are to kill only as a last resort or to protect yourself from sure loss. I want to take as many of them as I can alive. Every single one of my family have great potential. I want only necassary deaths." Kokokoro eyed Ichane from the corner of his eye to gauge his pawn's reaction. He wouldn't admit it, but his hold wasn't complete on this one. He constantly fought against the mental barriers that he was trapped in.

"Understood. Disable beyond fighting potential, accumulate the bodies and keep alive as long as possible." Ichane stared ahead as they walked. No visible reaction in his response.

Kokoro grinned. The struggling of Ichane's mind had dropped drastically from the point he was taken. It had taken three days of constant vigilance to make the barriers strong enough. Kokoro would have just absorbed him, but that kind of talent as a backup or a dangerous wall of death should he need to make a fast escape was just far too great to pass up. He was vastly more valuable in his clutches, especially when he didn't have the chakra capacity yet to do most of what he knew. At least until this village, and maybe one or two more fell to him so that he had the chakra stores to take over whoever would come against him.

---------------------------------------------

"What do you think? Did he come to finish the job?" Sakura wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but was willing to listen to any of them as the trio following her was running off towards the largest explosions.

"Who else would start off like this? But it sounds like it is coming from all around the village, but we're heading towards the loudest it seems. Should we split up?" Naruto followed along next to Lee, flanking the two girls next to them.

Sakura signalled them and they stopped in a small alleyway, looking at them a little sheepishly. "Um.. eheh, I pulled a Naruto. I didn't really think about that yet. I was worried about what we would be up against first..." Sakura scratched behind her head like Naruto would usually do.

"Hey!"

"So, what do we do to find out what we are against without taking the risk of getting caught? Would you like me to use my Byukugan?"

"I've got a better idea. We don't know if you can get close enough, and I sure as hell am not going to risk letting you get caught. I'll just form a bunshin and he'll go check it out. When he disappears, I get his knowledge. I will just henge into something really teeny and take a look. No risk, no threat."

"I agree with Naruto. We don't want to risk anything yet. And we can all be close enough to take whatever action we need to from what he finds out."

"I see. Well, we should see what comes of it then." Hinata almost sounded... cold. Only Sakura noticed however.

_"I suppose that she would fight better if she stayed by Naruto's side with the confindence boost she gets from him. If we split up, I'll have to make sure that happens, but his idea is pretty decent."_

"Alright, do it. Try to hurry though."

**"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"** Five Naruto's appeared just a bit deeper in the alley so they wouldn't be seen. Each henge'd into birds, except for one that formed into a small rat.

"This way, I can also check out the other sides, just to get an idea of what exactly is going on. We can make a better decision this way."

"That.. eh.. works.." Sakura hadn't thought about that either. **_"JUST WHO THE HELL IS THE SMART ONE OF THIS BUNCH?"_** Inner Sakura was feeling quite small at the moment.

A few moments later, Naruto frowned and looked at the group with a very grim face.

"Okay, here's what we're looking at. We are headed towards what I think is Kokoro. There are two guys behind five others that are doing all the work and they're headed right for his old man's. The five are cutting a path right through everything in sight with massive ninjutsu. It looks more like its for show though. But there is one guy who looks kinda serious next to the guy I think is Kokoro. At least he carries himself like a paumpus ass... The others from coming around the other sides of the village seem to be rounding people up and making examples of those who resist."

"You mean they aren't killing anyone?"

"It doesn't seem that way. They are just knocking everyone out and moving on, herding them all towards the center of the village."

Lee raised his hand as if still in the Academy. "I wonder why they are doing that? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill them off?"

"Perhaps they plan to use the villagers to accomplish some goal with Lord Yorino?"

"It could be Hinata. So, that means we can't allow that to happen, but we can't spread out and take them all out, we would be spread too thin. If they aren't killing, then we don't have to worry about them too much, and we can't stave off all of the killing they could do if they wanted to. We would be best off to try and take out Kokoro and, hopefully, that will make his men turn tail and run, especially if we can make a spectacle afterwards."

"YOSH! SAKURA! YOUR FA-BOOMPH!" Lee began to turn blue as Sakura's grip on his throat tightened.

"You idiot!" She hissed. "Do you want everyone to know where we are?"

"Ka... ka..."

"Um, Sakura? I don't think he can speak..." Naruto felt sorry for Lee. He knew very well the pain of that hold.

Sakura reluctantly let go of her prey, but did so anyway. "Okay. Well, five men, who we know are ninja with some decent ninjutsu-"

"I didn't say decent, just massive. They are genin level fire and water ninjutsu. They are just casting them like they don't care about their chakra reserves. The one in the middle is the one you will have to watch out for though, he is fast with his hands."

"Okay, either way, to play it safe, we will go in as a group, but break into two teams to break them up. Myself and Lee, and Hinata with Naruto. Cover each other and take out who you can where you can. Just remember, part of our mission is to try and take Kokoro alive if at all possible. This is our only chance to get him and without a large loss of life and is our least likely method to not get caught and have him take over our minds if he finds us alone."

"Agreed."

"YOSH!"

"Alright."

The group left to go after Kokoro and his men.

---------------------------------------------

Kokoro allowed his smirk to become a large grin as the roof of his family house came into view. It was almost time.

Kokoro allowed a brief moment of anger to surface as Ichane knocked him to the side just before the ground cracked and fissured below him.

"THE HELL?"

"We have company Master. It appears to be those new residents we were made aware of."

---------------------------------------------

"Damn them! I almost had them in the first strike!" Sakura was beyond pissed.

"Don't worry Sakura! We have plenty of time to try another strike! Until you give up, you shall always have the ability to shine like a vibrant star!" Lee gave her his nice guy pose.

"Stuff it. They're on to us now."

"Shall we crush them then?"

"We shall."

"YOSH! If I cannot defeat my targets, I shall run around this village fifty times!"

"Yea, yea. Let's go!" Sakura and Lee did what they could to keep the men occupied while Hinata and Naruto snuck up behind them. Naruto being a ninjutsu powerhouse and Hinata being able to disable with the faintest touch was a better choice for the job of taking out who they could and fast.

Kokoro was not pleased. "Kill them."

The five lead men spread out and began firing off jutsu as fast as they could. Lee had no problems dodging them, but Sakura wasn't nearly that fast. She just punched the ground and forced a small wave of ground to pound into the jutsu. It didn't stop them entirely, but she could at least duck and miss the lower portions of the attacks.

Kokoro watched the two kids in front of him display surprising strength. The girl had incredible strength, and the boy, his speed was incredible. But something was off. It would be foolish to attack head on like that. No matter their strengths.

Kokoro spread out his awareness for minds other than the two and his own men near him. His grin came back. "Ichane. There are two more trying to come in behind us. Let's surprise them."

"Understood Master." With that, Ichane performed a few hand seals and faded away.

"Damnit, where'd grumpy go?" Naruto lost sight of the man as they came up along their rear.

"He is in a genjutsu like Kurenai's. He is invisible. But I will take him. You get Kokoro."

"Are you sure Hinata? That guy looked like a pain in the ass."

"I can see him, you cannot. Sakura and Lee can take care of the five in the lead. That was our agreement."

"Alright, I-"

"YOSH! ONE DOWN FOR ME! WHO NEXT WANTS TO FALL TO THE MIGHT OF THE GREAT AZURE BEAST?"

"Four in the lead Naruto."

"Alright, I'll try and help out with a few clones. Let's go."

**"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"** Thirty clones popped in to existance. Ten each for the lead men, Kokoro and Grumpy.

"Naruto, you can't see my enemy, you will only get in the way. Have them help Lee and Sakura."

"Alright, alright. They'll help against the four peons so you can be helped." All of the Naruto's except the real one and his own ten went to help Lee and Sakura. Naruto's own bunshin circled around Kokoro to begin his own assault.

---------------------------------------------

"Hey, Brat. This means your battle is with me." Kokoro idly watched the clones taking positions around him. He reached out slightly with his mind to see if they could be taken over and was quite happy to see they each had an independant mind. After giving as much of an attempt as he could, however, he couldn't control the clone in the slightest.

_"With this many against me, I have no chance.. I've got to get Ichane or some of the drones over here. I need to stall for time. Ichane has that girl and the drones are everywhere else."_ Kokoro gave a smirk at his opponent.

"So Brat. Why are you trying to stop me, huh?" Kokoro sent out the commands to have twenty drones come to his position and for Ichane to keep an eye on his status and aid him if needed. He couldn't lose yet.

"You're the bad guy, I'm the good guy. I beat you, and all is well with the world again. That's usually how it works." Naruto gave his foxy grin at Kokoro with a shrug of indifference.

"C'mon. You don't really think it will be that easy do you?" Kokoro began testing each mind until he found the actual Naruto and then checked his resistancy, and found it relatively strong. His basic mind was practically impenetrable! _"This boy ... his conscious mind is malleable, but his basic instincts and core... Its like he has a natural defense against any outside force! Two minutes to go.."_

"Easy or not, I won't let you go any further! You're hurting these people! You grew up with them and befriended them! Why would you do these things to them?"

"Insolent fool. I am doing these things because I must! I absorb the chakra pools of each person and their knowledge. I will become the strongest so I can get rid of all of the pain and suffering of this world! Don't you see? With this, I can make everyone follow under a single leader. Everyone can be at ease because they will have the strongest leader in the world and he can defeat anyone!" Kokoro was getting worked up with his speech. He enjoyed telling people his plans. Then they could know how great he was.

_"One minute.. Then I'll have enough time for that jutsu. I need to stall just a bit longer!"_

"You're crazy Kokoro. You can't just take these things from people and kill people in your path! Its monstrous!" Naruto began doing handseals for a fire jutsu when Kokoro started laughing, and he stopped molding his chakra. Now he was just pissed.

"What's so funny?"

"You are. Don't you get it?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Kokoro was pleased. Very pleased. He may very well be able to convince this twerp to join his side. He was showing hesitation now, unsure of himself.

"Being able to use strong jutsu like the one surrounding me, I would assume you are from a decent ninja village. Tell me, what are the qualities of your leader?"

"What does that have to do with this?"

"I'm getting to that, just answer the question please." Kokoro seethed inside. _"What the hell is with this kid?"_

"The leader has to be strong, and be able to lead successfully without causing conflict. The leader must be able to-"

"That's enough boy. Those two things actually hit directly on what I am trying to say. I would be the strongest person for the job, which also happened to be the first thing you said, and being so strong, I could defeat any enemies that come and threaten my people! I would have no conflict because I would be a strict ruler. I would be fair, but strict."

"That isn't a leader. That is a tyrant! A true leader wouldn't get stronger by praying on the weak and killing of their own village and family! That is unforgiveable!" The last words were growled out of Naruto's mouth by every single one of the Naruto's around Kokoro. It was done with the hope of distracting him and instilling fear.

Kokoro smirked after Naruto's speech. All of them growling at the end gave him a bit of pause, but he saw his pawns coming from around him in several directions. Thirty of them so far have only shown up. The two raid parties that were the closest would be the first wave, and another two would show up, but Kokoro didn't care to pay attention to how far they were. He would just check on them if these ones couldn't handle the brat. Kokoro watched as they formed a tight circle around himself and the Naruto clones, waiting for his command to attack, a few helping out the now three remaining against the pink haired girl and the boy with the disturbing eyebrows.

"You see? My men are willing to come and defend me because I am their strong leader."

"And the fact that you can control them means nothing?"

"It means everything. Let's see how you fare against twenty-five enemies at once, shall we?" With a flick of the wrist all hell broke loose.

---------------------------------------------

Hinata didn't speak to her enemy. He didn't give her the chance. He was damn good. She jumped back and left to dodge an earth dragon heading from Ichane and cast a fireball from her mouth and was forced to dodge a second earth dragon coming from her rear right.

_"He's casting too fast! I've gotta slow him down."_

Hinata landed a little roughly and ran towards Ichane. He wasn't much faster than her thankfully, but his seal speed was incredible. Hinata came in low and started the fight with taijutsu, causing Ichane to let his genjutsu fall. At this point, he realised it was pointless and a waste of chakra. He needed what he could use because this girl was fast as hell and flexible enough to dodge every punch he threw. He couldn't even cast jutsu with this kind of battle. This girl was possessed and the demon that did it wanted to win.

---------------------------------------------

Sakura wasn't enjoying the idea of getting even more people into this fight, but she wasn't given much of a choice. These guys didn't know the strongest jutsu she had come across, but they held no fear of chakra depletion or their own lives. They just kept casting and moving. They were working overly well together. Lee's speed couldn't even help him when he had to dodge earth dragons, fireballs and all the other traps and projectiles getting sent his way. All of this combined made them a bit too dangerous. They were going to have to go all out and without their own limits for a little while to try and get this done. They had to get to Kokoro. Without him, hopefully, the others would drop or come to their senses or... something.

"Lee!"

"Yes Sakura!"

"We have to go all out! No holding anything back, no restrictions! They are already doing-YIPE!" Sakura had to dodge attacks from three different angles and a few shuriken as well. The newcomers were going after them full force.

"Bah! They aren't restricting themselves like we do, so they will fight until they drop dead! We have to finish them off as best we can and get Kokoro!"

"Agreed! First gate, OPEN!" Power surged through Lee through his entire system. He became faster, stronger and his senses kicked in to overdrive. He was aware of everything in his sight.

"Second gate, OPEN!" Power flooded him, his muscles bulged, strength and speed increased substantially. "I AM READY SAKURA!" Lee simply disappeared and four of the men closest to his positionfloew into the buildings surrounding them as the ground from Lee's path shattered and debris rose into the air. He wouldn't be able to hold the gates open for long. The power surging through him was tearing at his chakra coils and he didn't have the control to keep himself safe. But he could try and take them out as quickly as possible to clear a path to Kokoro.

Sakura knew at those speeds the men were most likely dead if not at least near death. She punched the ground causing a crevice to split the ground and open beneath one hapless enemy, pinning him under the ground. Sakura jumped and blocked two shuriken with a kunai she picked up from the ground from the first weapon assault. Now it was her turn to go all out, but for her, that meant straight fighting. She created scalpals of chakra around her hands and rushed the enemy.

---------------------------------------------

Several of Naruto's clones disappeared with the initial onrush. Naruto was taking on eight of the new arrivals while the rest took on the clones that were left. Naruto needed more clones, he was over his limit with this many enemies and, just like the others, they held no regards to their own lives and were going all out. Most were simply men with decent brawling experience and those went down relatively quick, but one would replace their downed comrade almost immediately.

Five of the men held back and stood around Kokoro while he began his jutsu. He needed a little time due to the amount of seals it required and to build his chakra to a level high enough to break through Naruto's naturally strong mental defenses. He didn't know how it was so strong, but he was going to make sure he gave it enough power to break through those damnable defenses.

Kokoro watched some of his men get thrown around like ragdolls by the two that were fighting together and the girl fighting Ichane was holding her own, each of them scoring blows every few moments and both slowing down. He needed to take this boy out. Taking on this many men and still fighting like at the beginning of the fight, he could prove most valuable. But he still needed to get past those defenses.

"I'm almost done. I've readied almost all the chakra I will need, get ready to keep him in place." Kokoro set his chakra in his palms to fire it at Naruto once he had as much as he thought he would need.

----------------------------------------------

Lee was nearly at his limit. He was moving fast enough to take out almost all of the men that had come at them, but more kept showing up. Reinforcements from around the village kept showing up. He couldn't get over to Kokoro because Sakura would be left to fend against far too many enemies and he didn't think he would be able to get there and finish Kokoro off fast enough that they wouldn't get to her. She was holding her own, but he had lost count how many rear attacks towards her that he had stopped that she wasn't even aware of.

"Sakura, I am nearly at my limit. I have just a few minutes left. We need to do something fast." He took out an additional two men and blocked an attack headed towards Sakura and took out the man who threw it.

"Alright, let's see if we can make our way over to Naruto and Kokoro." Sakura released a chakra enhanced punch into the ground directly towards Kokoro, but halfway there, a wave of earth met it and they cancelled each other out. It did, however, give them a chance to make it a quarter of the way to Naruto, close enough to yell at him over the sounds of battle.

"Naruto! We have to take out Kokoro! These guys aren't fighting like they care about life or death! Getting rid of him is our only chance!"

Naruto threw one enemy into a man coming up from his side with a rather long dagger and spared a quick glance over his shoulder at Sakura. "I know! But he keeps getting guys to come in from everywhere!" Naruto blocked two attackers and kicked them in the sides to send them spiraling towards a few others off to the side.

**"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"** Taking the brief moment after tossing his enemies around, Naruto made fifty bunshin to help out wherever they seemed to be needed to bring much needed relief.

----------------------------------------------

Kokoro was ready. He had almost all of his chakra stored in his hands now, ready to be shot. Around his hands, still holding the next to last seal, a very bright purple light radiated.

"HOLD HIM!" Kokoro roared his command making all combatants, except his own, pause. And that was all it took.

All the men surrounding Naruto held him down and laid down on top of him, leaving only his head visible.

"WHAT THE HELL? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? LET ME GO! DAMN IT!" Naruto was thrashing around as much as he could, being only able to move his head, but it wasn't enough, the pile of men barely moved.

"Its over Brat. **HOUMEN KUROKIKU NO JUTSU!** (Release of Dark Fears Technique)" A beam of sickly purple light flared from Kokoro's hands hitting Naruto directly on the top of his head. His screams were nearly a physical force bouncing off the walls of surrounding buildings.

---------------------------------------------

Naruto saw the beam hit him and everything went dark. He felt himself falling. Falling much further than he should have. Suddenly, he stopped and found himself in a very familiar set of hallways. He was pulled incredibly fast through the hallways, taking turns with jerks of his body as he suddenly stopped and was pulled at full speed down until he saw a familiar red light getting brighter and brighter.

---------------------------------------------

The battle had halted. The clones disappeared once Naruto's screams had started and everyone was too greatly outnumbered to continue and just simply too tired. Lee was unable to continue having held himself with two Celestial Gates open for so long. If he continued, there would be irreversable damage and though Sakura wasn't as bad off, she had used most of her chakra up already trying to get to Kokoro. Hinata still had chakra, but, along with Ichane, had taken massive damage.

Hinata slumped to her knees and felt cold over her entire body. Naruto was still screaming and hadn't yet stopped for air.

"Wh-WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Hinata stifled a sob as she watched all the muscles visible on Naruto pulse as they contracted and relaxed, still screaming.

"He will now live his darkest fears and should be malleable for me to control soon. Such a strong mind too. I am quite surprised he had such great defenses. But there is no defense against me. I always win. It is a shame for you three though. He was quite obviously the only one who had anything resembling a chance. Now its time for you three to d- WHAT THE HELL?"

---------------------------------------------

Naruto flew directly into the cage holding the Kyuubi and hit the bars with a sickening thud and a few cracks from his bones. Then the metal began molding around him and he was still being pulled in to the darkness beyond as the Kyuubi was pulled and hit the bars himself.

**"Kit! What the hell?"**

"I ... don't.. uhng. know Kyuubi! Wierd... ahhhh... JUTSU... AHHHHH"

A flash of purple light and Naruto was on the wrong side of the bars and watched as the Kyuubi was pulled quickly out of the room.

**"KIT!"**

"No... no, no, no, NO, NOOOO!" Naruto ran at the bars and tried to pry them apart and push himself through between them, but they shifted and he was barely able to put his arm through up to his elbow. "KYUUUBIIIIIIIIIIII! NOOOO!"

---------------------------------------------

Kokoro walked slowly towards the blue - haired girl that seemed most distraught about the boy's problem. He made sure Ichane was close though. He used up next to all of his chakra in that jutsu and barely made it through the kid's defenses. He was doing really well and almost had it done, then met a hard wall of resistance, but that quickly gave way. The only thing he found odd was the pulse of chakra once completed. He didn't like that the brat was still screaming though, but at least he could use that here.

"Do you hear his screaming? Can you imagine the things he is experiencing right now? His loved ones dieing, probably by his hand; maybe being tortured or doing the torturing? Hm? what do you think?" Kokoro smirked as he watched the girl give no outward reaction. He had won this.

"I think you are about to die." Hinata whispered her reply, but with Naruto around, it was as loud as she used to talk.

"What do you think you can do you lit-" Then Kokoro felt it. A MASSIVE spike of chakra behind him. He wheeled around and watched the boy glow a fierce red, the aura around him growing and the boy not screaming any longer. Then his eyes opened and he gave off a frightening scream that was more of a growl and yell all at once. Again, it was like a physical force, only this time, the buildings themselves shook from the power of the boy as all the men that were still on top of the boy flew off of him as if there had been a large group of explosive tags below them.

Naruto got up and the ground below him crumbled and shifted as if a large half - sphere had just pushed in to the ground. He raised his hands and chakra radiated off of him as he yelled and a pillar of chakra rose up from him and pierced the sky.

Hinata watched as Naruto's skin rolled in waves all over his body. His muscles bulged and tightened, reshaping themselves under his skin. His bones cracked and reset themselves, becoming stronger and a little longer. His chakra coils thickened to incredible propertions and his own chakra pool and reserves altered, accomodating the new amounts they would hold rather than having him explode from chakra overdose.

The screaming stopped suddenly, and Naruto rose his hands to look at them as the pillar of fiery red chakra thinned and was gone. He began to chuckle and soon, was laughing deeply.

_"Wh-what the hell are you?"_ Kokoro couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. There was so much chakra that he simply released as a pillar that over a hundred thousand ninja would have died from complete chakra depletion, but this ... _boy_ ... looked like it was residual!

**"HAHAHA! Free... I'm finally free..."** Naruto paused while turning his hands over and looking at the backs. ** "I'M FREEEEEE!"** Kyuubi leaned his head back and roared the last words. He stopped laughing and looked around at the gathered people. He saw Lee, resting his hands on his knees and panting. He saw Sakura, who was just as tired but barely able to stand. There was Hinata, pleased to see her Naruto standing and no longer screaming and he saw all the other humans around him.

"**Let's have a bloodbath."** He whispered under his breath.

---------------------------------------------

Alright, here we go! lol.

I am planning on starting the fluff after everyone gets back to Konoha. Eh, after a very serious dark point. However, the point of this story is for that very same dark point. So I am wondering if you guys want me to continue the story for a) A few extra chapters to get some fluff in and a definite ending, or b) end it there. If I continue it, it will only be a few additional chapters (two most likely after this one, one or two to continue) to finish and tie things up. Or, option "C", would be to go ahead and start my second story. This will happen regardless, but meah. I just don't know what you guys want. And I would like to tailor this to you guys. So here are my total questions:

1- Fluff will come, but my initial plan is that, after everyone gets to Konoha, a darker and more sinister/serious event will take place. Do I...:

Continue a few chapters? Actually give an ending to the story that is definite? (As the ending I have planned would normally be a horrific cliffhanger. Which you should see after my next one, or the one after that at the latest for sure unless I do continue it.)

Go with my initial plans? Maybe just make an alternate ending, in addition, tailored to what the readers ask for? (This is my favourite option.)

2- Do I continue this story rather than write my original second one? My second planned on ignoring Sakura for Hinata (I am a MAJOR Naru/Hina fan. A girl like her deserves everything she wants,) and I am as of yet undecided on Sasuke. I am thinking keeping him (to maintain some of the original plot) but I am not overly fond of him (mostly due to trying to find decent Naru/Hina stories and finding almost nothing but Sas/Naru. Why there are so many of him changing genders and doing the Evil Thing with him, I dunno. But there are.) Do I...:

Go ahead and finish this one based on answers to number 1, or alter this one a little to meet my desires? (That would be a lot of lost character development time and chara/story progression time as well. Also, it would be hard to assume that they wouldn't have been able to become Chuunin or even Jounin at this point, and I REALLY wanna write a Chuunin exam... lol. I just think it would be a lot of fun.)

Go ahead and finish this one per number 1, and then write my new story where the Genin teams are selected again and then begin it from there as I had planned on. (This is my favourite of the two options and my main plan.)

3- So, time to choose on Sakura and Lee. Does Lee pick #1, 3 or 4? I don't plan on cheating for what I am looking for, but I wrote the four choices on a paper. Everyone knows what #2 is, but as for the others, heh, well, just guess and we shall see! MWA HAHA! -Coughs- My evil heart wishes for me to say it has no part in this because it is a poor quality evil plan. -thinks- "Stupid evilness not knowing what is evil..." -grumbles-


	7. Return to Konoha & Desires Begun

Author's Note I just want to say that I didn't plan on ending the story with my last (or this) chapter... I noticed a lot of worries over that. The story ends after they get to Konoha and after Hinata's plan takes action. What I was worried about (in regards to continuing the story) was whether or not I tie up the loose ends that will arise out of it or not. I have determined I will just because I would hate it if I was reading it otherwise. Also, from reviews and PM's, the majority of those who reviewed chose #3! You get to find out what that is after they get to Konoha. I must say, that was the one I was hoping for. #1 teaser date (real date, but lots of teasing and insinuations), #2 kiss (In theory, whatever he chose would be have been the simple starter), #3 Not telling now, #4 A prank she would play on him with a combination of kiss and date as the prize (good prank, not bad, like a scavenger hunt to the date.) And the reason I allowed Lee and Sakura to get together so quick is this: Lee has always liked her and I am saying that they don't have Sasuke back or he is dead, whichever you like best. So, we can say she has been toying with the notion to go out with him, and this just made it a whole lot easier.

I must also say, I am greatly amused that many of you have forgotten a very major point from previous chapters. It will come in to play soon. :-)

Update: Sorry for the horribly long absense. My aunt died and I was rather close to her. Then we found out that she died more from lack of care than natural causes, so then it was a bunch of legal crap. Sorry, here's the chapter, next one done soon as I was halfway through with it when I got back to finish this one - just have to transfer it from my laptop to desktop to upload it. So, when I finish the second half of the next chapter, you'll have it. But this whole thing is going to cause me to make things progress a little faster than I had originally planned. Sorry if it isn't up to snuff. Paladeus

---------------------------------------------

--Previously--

Kokoro walked slowly towards the blue - haired girl that seemed most distraught about the boy's problem. He made sure Ichane was close though. He used up next to all of his chakra in that jutsu and barely made it through the kid's defenses. He was doing really well and almost had it done, then met a hard wall of resistance, but that quickly gave way. The only thing he found odd was the pulse of chakra once completed. He didn't like that the brat was still screaming though, but at least he could use that here.

"Do you hear his screaming? Can you imagine the things he is experiencing right now? His loved ones dieing, probably by his hand; maybe being tortured or doing the torturing? Hm? what do you think?" Kokoro smirked as he watched the girl give no outward reaction. He had won this.

"I think you are about to die." Hinata whispered her reply, but with Naruto around, it was as loud as she used to talk.

"What do you think you can do you lit-" Then Kokoro felt it. A MASSIVE spike of chakra behind him. He wheeled around and watched the boy glow a fierce red, the aura around him growing and the boy not screaming any longer. Then his eyes opened and he gave off a frightening scream that was more of a growl and yell all at once. Again, it was like a physical force, only this time, the buildings themselves shook from the power of the boy as all the men that were still on top of the boy flew off of him as if there had been a large group of explosive tags below them.

Naruto got up and the ground below him crumbled and shifted as if a large half - sphere had just pushed in to the ground. He raised his hands and chakra radiated off of him as he yelled and a pillar of chakra rose up from him and pierced the sky.

Hinata watched as Naruto's skin rolled in waves all over his body. His muscles bulged and tightened, reshaping themselves under his skin. His bones cracked and reset themselves, becoming stronger and a little longer. His chakra coils thickened to incredible propertions and his own chakra pool and reserves altered, accomodating the new amounts they would hold rather than having him explode from chakra overdose.

The screaming stopped suddenly, and Naruto rose his hands to look at them as the pillar of fiery red chakra thinned and was gone. He began to chuckle and soon, was laughing deeply.

_"Wh-what the hell are you?"_ Kokoro couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. There was so much chakra that he simply released as a pillar that over a hundred thousand ninja would have died from complete chakra depletion, but this ... _boy_ ... looked like it was residual!

**"HAHAHA! Free... I'm finally free..."** Naruto paused while turning his hands over and looking at the backs. ** "I'M FREEEEEE!"** Kyuubi leaned his head back and roared the last words. He stopped laughing and looked around at the gathered people. He saw Lee, resting his hands on his knees and panting. He saw Sakura, who was just as tired but barely able to stand. There was Hinata, pleased to see her Naruto standing and no longer screaming and he saw all the other humans around him.

"**Let's have a bloodbath."** He whispered under his breath.

----------------------------------------------------

Kokoro no longer held control over his own body. He wanted to run, he wanted to scream, but he could only stand with his mouth hanging open and eyes wide at the amount of power radiating off of the boy in front of him. The aura of chakra around him was so strong, so condensed and powerful, that he was able to feel it as if he were in a lake. And this was just the chakra energy coming off of him that leaked out of him. The chakra used just by living.

"Wh-what are you!" Kokoro had finally found his voice, even if it did sound more like a little girl's.

**"Free."** Kyuubi growled his response, letting every bit of his killing intent flow out of him. He wasn't able to alter Naruto's body enough to withstand all of his nine tails of power, but four tail's worth is absolutely nothing to balk at. His killing intent however, yes, that needing nothing but a very good, strong intent to kill. And Kyuubi WAS a demon after all. A desire to kill comes second nature to the deed itself.

Kyuubi allowed his power to envelope himself and Naruto's companions. He didn't want to risk letting Naruto's friends get hurt while he had fun. As soon as he created a shroud of chakra around them all, he disappeared to everyone with a carnal roar. The only thing that showed he was still around was the mass of bodies that suddenly found themselves in the air. Kyuubi used his knowledge of chakra control to read who was being controlled and who was fighing freely. those who were not under control found themselves high in the air, broken in several places, and those under control were merely knocked out with only minor broken bones.

**_"I gotta have what fun I can while this lasts after all.. heh.."_** Kyuubi didn't know how long this could last or if it was permanent, but better safe than sorry.

----------------------------------------------------

Hinata watched as Naruto released more chakra than probably the entire population of Konoha combined around himself. The blue was slightly darker than usual, but was quite surprised that it wasn't that red chakra he normally used when things got really rough. This was all blue as he normally used. She didn't really understand what he was talking about when he kept saying "free", but assumed he was talking about whatever jutsu Kokoro had used.

Whatever the case, as soon as he disappeared, with her Byakugan active, wherever there wasn't already a body, he suddenly filled the space. He filled everywhere and hit everyone with taijutsu and a blast of chakra. If she didn't know better, she would have said it looked much like Jyuuken with the spikes of chakra that went through everyone. When Naruto arrived back exactly where he had been standing and all of the enemies except Kokoro were in the air, he bagan to talk directly to Kokoro and released his chakra shrouds around Lee, Sakura and herself. She was very pleased to find that the ones she checked were still alive. Severely broken, maimed and quite bloody, but alive and in no immediate threat of death. Just a lot of pain and damaged bone and muscle.

----------------------------------------------------

Lee was astounded. He hadn't seen anything but a rather large blur amongst the whole field and then he was back where he had begun. Naruto was far faster than he was. Lee looked over to where Sakura was staring at Naruto, mouth agape, just as he was. Naruto continued to surprise everyone. It seemed he would do this until the day he died, which, apparantly, would be a long way in coming. Lee just let his body rest as he paid attention towards Naruto's actions, ready to come in if needed.

----------------------------------------------------

**"I would relish killing you right now. However, your father wanted to see you alive. I refuse to ruin this mission for them. Let's go."** Kyuubi made restraints out of pure chakra and held Kokoro with them, also creating glove - like balls of chakra around his hands to make him unable to create seals. He jerked his head towards the manor where Kokoro was headed at his friends and started walking, carrying Kokoro in the air with him, the moans and cries of the wounded falling behind. The three followed him for a few moments in quiet until Sakura spoke.

"N-Naruto, where did all that power come from? And, creating anything purely out of chakra requires incredible chakra control, which frankly, you never really had, and you released more chakra breaking whatever jutsu he used on you than probably the whole of Konoha!"

Kyuubi looked at Sakura for a moment, then looked ahead of himself still heading towards the manor. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to go about any form of explanation, so he did the only thing he could really think of.

**"Explanations will have to come later."**

"But what did y-"

**"Later! End of conversation!"** _"What a WHINY whelp!"_ Kyuubi would have loved to just go on a killing spree and get rid of Pinky first, but sadly, he couldn't ruin what was left of Naruto's life. Nearly every day, Kyuubi cursed the Yondaime for his making him feel every emotion Naruto went through. Even for a demon, feeling pain, sadness and being alone for twelve years will break just about anyone, especially when he knew he was the cause of it. He loved causing it, but he never went through this. It was horrible. He would have loved to just fallen asleep, but if the runt died, he died, and if he was asleep, he couldn't try to figure a way out. Not that the random mob beatings wouldn't have let him sleep anyway.

The group arrived at the gated entrance to the grounds of Lord Enura and forced them open with chakra. The guards at the entrance didn't even attempt to stop them and only spoke when Kyuubi asked where the Lord was. He immediately went to the same room that they had first spoken in.

Kyuubi went down the halls and when he reached the doors to his destination, he knocked them open roughly with a chakra burst but not enough to actually damage anything. He tossed the crying Kokoro at the feet of his father with a fiendish smirk.

**"Your son has arrived and in good spirits it would seem."** Kyuubi watched as Kokoro compacted himself in a fetal position. It was partly from being helpless in front of his father, but mostly, Kyuubi was having fun with his mind while on his way up to their current location. As a demon without hands, he had learned chakra manipulation without the use of seals, and took full advantage while he could. Kokoro saw himself in front of the demon fox at each battle he had been at in the past twenty thousand years. And most of those were in the demon realm against other demons.

"So it would seem. I am sorry, but that incredible burst of chakra, was that any of you?" Yorino was worried his bastard of a son may have succeeded in part of his plans. If he had absorbed that much chakra, there was no way he could stop him.

"It was me, Sir. Kokoro hit me with a jutsu to live my darkest fears and I did what I could to bust out of it." Kyuubi was much more formal this time than Naruto had been last time. Not because he felt any respect for the man, but because he had to show some as was human decorum. He just didn't think that Naruto hadn't been the type to show so much respect. Yorino noticed this, but decided the boy was just a little uptight after whatever he had to have witnessed.

"I see, that is good then. If you can continue to hold him, I will take care of the rest?" Yorino tugged gently on his beard while waiting for the go ahead from whoever had him bound. When Kyuubi nodded, he stood above his son with a look of great sadness etched into his features.

"I am sorry, Son, but this must be done. You have failed us all and brought your family and village dishonour of the worst rank. Good bye... Kokoro." Yorino's hands and eyes began to glow a fierce blue green and the light from his hands grew as he flashed through seals one - handed and very quickly reached out to Kokoro. As soon as it touched, he stiffened and the veins in his eyes all burst making them turn red. Kyuubi raised a brow at this while Sakura wanted to turn away, but was unable to. Such was the case with Lee and Hinata as well.

Yorino sent his chakra to destroy his son's brain. It had to be done so that no one could get their hands on it for testing. He couldn't allow anyone else to. This was no longer his true son, but Yorino needed the closure. It may seem twisted to some, but he was the only one who could do it. After roughly seven minutes, Yorino let the shell that was once his son drop while he went to his seat and cried for his son that was no more.

"Wh-Why did you kill him? We could have done so and you wouldn't have had to suffer for it..." Sakura whispered, not actually realising she had spoken, but Yorino answered anyway.

"What I did was to keep the secrets held within his mind from anyone else. It broke any holds on those he took control over and reformed his brain so the mental abilities cannot be copied or studied. It can only be done while alive and is far too late after death. I am the last of my line now, and the evil within it shall be ended with my death. It is as it should be now. I cannot risk another like him. I am too old for it."

Yorino decided he would mourn later. But for now, everything was better. Everything was fixed. Or at least, things were at their darkest, and they could rebuild. But with his line dieing, he had one last thing to offer this world.

"Hinata, you said you are friends with the Yamanaka clan, yes?" Yorino's wrinkled face turned to see Hinata nod an affirmative, still too stunned to speak. He sighed and rose towards the large bookshelf in the back of the room. At the bottom left side, he reached behind and flipped a switch to let the shelf swing off to the side and the surprised group watched as they realized the shelf was actually metal with a highly advanced genjutsu to make it look like wood. Behind was a stone room with several thousand scrolls. He looked at them for a few seconds before turning towards Hinata.

"Tonight, I will have all of these scrolls sealed into another larger one. I would like to hire you for another mission to take them to them if you could. As I said, this clan will die with me, and then these will all be useless unless someone finds them, and I would rather they go to the clan that descended from my own."

"As you wish, Lord Enura."

"I am sure they will be very thankful, Lord Enura." Everyone but Kyuubi looked to where Kakashi and Anko were both leaned up against the far wall.

"When did you two get here?" Sakura hadn't even felt a chakra signature when they arrived.

"As Lord Enura was walking towards the hidden room. Naruto is letting out so much residual chakra that it overpowered our signatures I believe. The people that Naruto had knocked out before snagging Kokoro have woken up and are back to themselves, though slightly more lumpy. They and the people of the village are currently getting to know each other again. Naruto, if I may ask, I know you have incredible reserves, but where did all that chakra come from?" Anko was looking like her normal, sadistic self while Kakashi was eyeing them over his ever-present orange book. They wouldn't have known, but the chakra was Naruto's. Kyuubi had control of it, yes, but once control was taken, Kyuubi altered Naruto's body to allow for it all to hold four tails worth of chakra and strengthened the body. Every bit of chakra they had sensed was his own, making his secret safe for the time being.

**"I was forced to increase my current chakra reserves after being hit by Kokoro's jutsu. After that, we came here."** He could tell they were suspicious, but he didn't once lie.

"I see. I don't suppose you'd be able to explain _how_ you did that?" Anko didn't know what to think. That wasn't the chakra of the Kyuubi, but there was so much of it, and increasing your reserves like that should be suicide. He should have been split apart.

**"I was forced to do it. I wasn't exactly doing it by will, just did it by necessesity."** Again, not once lieing. The need to do it was more along the lines of keeping the brat alive, and therefore himself if this wasn't permanent, but it was needed all the same.

Yorino closed the hidden chamber again and sat behind his desk. After calling in two samurai guards to clear the body of the room, he began to speak to the ninja around him again.

"Your mission was a success. You brought Kokoro to me, alive as I preferred. Come by any time tonight to any time before you leave to pick up the scrolls and such for the Yamanaka clan and just be sure to tell them I said good luck with most of them. They may only be able to perform thirty or so before they come across someone with much talent. It should only take a few generations if they train themselves greatly with them. And several are good for combat, which I hear they are greatly lacking. Now, I suggest resting. I have arranged for rooms for you here if you would like or you may go back to your current residence if you would feel more comfortable. Kakashi, Anko, please tell your Hokage I am greatly impressed with their work. You no longer have to remain in hiding. You are dismissed for lunch and then we should come back to debrief. And.. Thank you."

--------------------------------------------------

The group bowed and left for their own home after the debriefing with Sakura glaring at Naruto for not talking about what he had done.

After arriving at their homes, they all sat and debriefed over the day's events amongst themselves. They were quite interested in where Kakashi and Anko was throughout the ordeal.

"Well, remember. This was your mission. The only thing we were here for was observation. We could have helped, that is true, but we weren't supposed to. Add that, along with the fact that we were trying to defend on the other side of the town, we didn't think you would need use since there were four of you and nearly everyone that Kokoro had wasn't ninja. Even these that are supposed to be samurai are merely well - trained with the sword. Not actual samurai." Kakashi either didn't notice the death glares he was getting because of his smirking eye through the whole thing, or he chose to ignore it.

They finished talking about the day's events and then decided to go to bed. Kakashi and Anko wanted to scout around the village for a little while and advised everyone to meet with Yorino before they left, to give him a little time to himself. They agreed and decided to go to bed early and just eat a large breakfast in the morning. No one was really hungry after the days events and what they had eaten at Yorino's.

---------------------------------------------------

"So what are you not telling us?"

Kyuubi let his surprise show through his face as he looked at her. The King of all Demons had seen a lot in his life, but he was willing to admit, to himself only of course, that the look on Hinata's face made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He was quite suddenly happy that he didn't have tails.

**"What are you talking about? Kokoro's jutsu? It was the worst possible thing. I am sorry I would rather not talk about it."** Kyuubi was getting worried. Her face only grew angrier and it would be hard not to lie to her. Probably impossible.

"I know Naruto and you're different. You walk differently, you look at things differently, your eyes are always roaming and you even carry yourself differently. So tell me what's going on." Hinata held herself firmly in front of him and had her arms crossed in front of her chest. She waited until they were together in their room after having recieved many thanks and well - wishes for their work and quick response.

Kyuubi sighed and leaned back on the bed Naruto and Hinata shared for the past thirteen days looked at the girl in front of him. He wasn't scared of her, oh no, never scared. He _was_ however a little nervous around her. That is totally different of course. He decided he would have to tell her sooner rather than later.

**"Alright, sit down and listen up - ER, PLEASE!"** He wouldn't have put much thought in to her eyes narrowing, but killer intent was a bit different. The brat would never forgive him for getting the girl pissed off at him. He calmed slightly as she sat, but she still had her arms crossed in front of her, waiting.

"Now start talking."

**"Alright, alright. Remember when you entered Naruto's dreamscape and found him protected by a large fox?"** He continued at her nod and raised eyebrow. **"Well, I am that fox."**

To say Hinata was shocked was something of an understatement. She was talking with a faux fox from inside Naruto's head while Naruto was- _"Wait a minute..."_

"Okay, so you're the bacon - loving fox, so where's Naruto then? And you told Anko and Kakashi that you were hit by a jutsu that made you, er, Naruto, live through your ... his.. whatever, darkest fear. Why is Naruto's Inner Fox his worst fear?"

Kyuubi was shocked at her description of himself. Accurate, yes, but an odd way of phrasing it. **"Well, I am going to tell you all about that, but I need to start at the beginning... Understand though, this is meant to be Naruto's story to tell, but I am telling you because he needs help if he's going to come out of this. Do you agree to listen to everything before doing anything rash? And to remember, above all else, that Naruto is who you know him to be?"**

Hinata wasn't sure what was going on, but that didn't sound like a normal way of beginning a story. At least not those with happy endings. "I will never forget who Naruto is. But I can't promise how I will react to what I don't know I am going to be told. Let's see where this goes."

**"Fair enough, I suppose, so here we go... from the beginning." Kyuubi stood and moved to the center of the floor where he sat back down and crossed his legs. "I will not harm you. I can't if you want me to be more precise and honest. Naruto will not allow it and even if he couldn't stop me, it would hurt me too. I just want you to know those things before I can continue."** He watched as her brow furrowed together slightly and she gave a brief nod.

**"Alright. Here we go. Have you noticed how Naruto had no friends during his days in the Academy? How many of the villagers would glare at him and he would almost never go in to certain areas of the village unless there was some kind of emergency?" He waited for her nod and continued. "He lived alone his whole life and was outcast by much of the village he pledged his life to protect because of an event that occured seventeen years ago. The night the Kyuubi attacked, over two hundred shinobi lost their lives to his rampage. Eventually, the Yondaime showed up on top of the head of Gamabunta for his last attempt to keep his village alive. To keep his people alive."**

"Right, the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi and saved everyone. We learned all of this in the Academy." Hinata was defintely getting confused now. Why did he feel the need to give her a history lesson?

**"Wrong."**

"What?"

**"The Kyuubi was too poweful to kill. Any jutsu performed could be almost totally blocked by his immense chakra expulsions. He could block almost anything. He was too large and his skin too thick to allow kunai and other weapons to do more than piss him off. There was one thing, however, that even the Kyuubi couldn't face. The Death God."** Kyuubi watched as her eyes began to widen and her mouth slightly parted. Her hands slowly rising to cover her mouth. **"The soul of the Kyuubi, however, was still strong enough to fight back and it would have been too large for the Death God to actually devour. Instead, the Yondaime altered the jutsu, and instead, the soul of the Kyuubi was put into the stomach of a newborn infant. Who's chakra coils hadn't yet developed so the youki of the Kyuubi wouldn't poison the child."** By now, unshed tears were in Hinata's eyes. She was breathing heavily as well.

**"The soul and very essence of the Kyuubi was placed into Naruto with a seal on his stomach. The nature of the seal would allow Naruto to draw upon the Kyuubi's chakra if needed, and it was completely held in place by Naruto's strength of will. If he had ever wanted to, it would have taken only an instant to set a demon loose on Konoha that wanted revenge, not only for what was done to it to cause it to attack in the first place, but for all the pain and misery and all the assassination attempts on him by so many of the villagers he wants only to prove himself to and to protect. That isn't the point, anyway, the nature of the seal also allowed the Kyuubi to experience every flicker of emotion that he felt. The determination to prove one's self, the pain, misery. The loneliness. All of these things brought a very odd change in the King of the Demons. I am that soul. That essence. I am the Kyuubi."** He paused as Hinata let out a stifled gasp and a few tears leaked from her eyes.

"Y-you're ... the Kyuubi?"

**_"Yes_**."

There was a brief pause where Hinata looked away from the Kyuubi for a few moments. He didn't want to say anything until he found what she would say or do from here. How the rest would go was up to her now. It took a few minutes, but she looked him in the eye and her eyes narrowed again, making the hair on the back of his neck raise again.

_**"What the hell is up with this girl?"**_

"Naruto is your jailor, and you are out of your cage then. So what happened?" Kyuubi would have said something to her about being respectful to the King of all Demons, but decided he didn't want to push his luck. She already knew he couldn't really hurt her any more than Naruto could.

**"When Kokoro used his jutsu, it was to make Naruto live his worst fear. The only problem, is that that particular jutsu works on the mind, which is the same mind that controls the seal on his body. Therefore, Naruto's worst fear is to become what many in the Konoha claim him to be. A demon. Having a demon sealed inside him, he was able to actually switch places with us. Our minds were switched. He now resides in my 'cage', as you so elegantly put it, and I am outside, along with the seal. But that seal was meant to keep me from crossing the boundry, so I cannot touch it. And Naruto can't get past the boundry to touch it. Our chakra actually switched, that is where the large burst of chakra came from, and why it was the same as Naruto's usual chakra. My chakra was being converted to his, and his to mine. But the best I could offer him was to alter his body with what would have been wasted and I was able to increase his chakra reserves to that of a four-tailed demon. That means I basically increased his overall chakra capacity by about one thousand and two hundred percent."**

"Sweet Kami..."

**"Yes, well, a human body isn't meant to support so much, though his adapts to grow as he aquires more of my own reserve size. However, my own chakra capacity is attempting to fill in his reserves, and it won't work. That is why I have been releasing so much ambient chakra. If I don't release it, it will tear this body apart. The brain is also having similar problems. It is trying to assimilate all of my knowledge, but there is far too much and it is trying to remember far too fast. He has about three days before the damage is done and irreversible. That is actually why I am telling you all of this. I want your help to switch us back. If the body dies, we both die, and I can't break the seal to use both spots because then one of us have to die, and I can't crack the damned seal even if I wanted to."**

"But how can I help? I don't know how to undo that jutsu, and it would take us about two days to travel hard to get to Konoha to get Ino or her family to help, but I don't know if they would ..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it was because of him.

**"Actually, you can help because that Ino girl already gave you the ability. Though it probably does you more harm than good. When she worked with your mind, she changed things. You actually have some phsychic abilities while her jutsu remains in effect. But the more you try to use them, or any other things your mind could do right now, it will damage it. You weren't meant for those abilities, but at least they can help here."**

"That is oddly lucky, but it works. And how could I help?"

**"It isn't actually if you consider how the ability manifested itself. As for her playing with your mind, well, that is a bit lucky, but you could have done this without that ability, I would have just taught you a jutsu with the time we have. It just makes things so much easier and less embarrassing for him when he comes to. But what you are going to do is enter his Dreamscape. I will guide you to the seal and you will open it for us. We will switch and you place the seal back on."**

Hinata gave a slight frown. "Not that I don't want to help Naruto, but are you telling the truth about being able to replace the seal?"

**"My dear girl, I do not plan to lie to you. Yes, I could kill him after the seal is broken, but I would still die. The only way for me to survive is inside of that seal. I can't change this body enough to live with and if he dies, so do I. I would suggest blending with him, but I can't guarantee the physical changes won't be, eh, furry. That being the case, this is our best bet. Also, I would like to tell him, when you are there, that you are a part of his mind that is free that is there to help him. So he can tell you his secret himself if he wishes it. You only know now because you had to."**

Hinata was quiet for a few minutes before nodding slightly. "Alright, we'll do it, but so help me... if you hurt Naruto-kun, I will deliver you to the gates of Hell myself."

Kyuubi decided it would be better not to tell her he already knew the way. He was really getting tired of the hair on the back of his neck sticking up.

**"Alrighty then! Now, I do want to make a small change to the seal, but I will discuss that with him as he is the only one who can alter it at all, and this would be the best time to do it."**

"What kind of change?"

**"Where he can summon me outside of his body so I can get a little free time. With his Kage Bunshin, he can create a body that has my chakra rather than his own, and once in it, I can make it a bit more permanent until the chakra reserve within it goes away. You can hear more about it when we get in, but for now, I don't want to have to explain it twice."**

"So what do we have to do?"

**"We go to bed together, get frisky to get tired and then-"** Kyuubi didn't make it any further before Hinata's foot to the side of his head knocked him out cold.

"Perverted fox... You'll feel that when you ... wake.. up?" It had only just occured to her that it will most likely be Naruto waking up in that body. "Eh.. heh.. oops."

Hinata got in bed and got comfortable before using an induced-sleep jutsu. Not powerful, but it does trick the target's mind into believing it hadn't slept in fourty-eight hours.

"See you soon Naruto-kun.." Hinata's hands flashed through the seals and had only enough time to realize she forgot to put Naruto's body in a dignified position before falling asleep.

---------------------------------------------

_Hinata found herself in a very different place than the plateau she had been in before. This time, she was in a forest. She was barefoot in some of the darkest green grass she had ever seen. Next to where she lay was a wide brook of crystal clear water with small, but brightly coloured fish darting about. The trees towered above her like giant sentries, rustling in the warm wind. She sat up and realized her clothes were nowhere to be found. Hinata felt the cloth of what replaced them and it felt like air, but was a very pale green._

_Hinata got to her feet and walked to the water, putting her feet in and let the tiny fish nibble at her toes. She was at peace. This whole place was quiet, save for the sounds of nature. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back to let the sunlight bathe her face in warmth and sighed happily. When two arms wrapped around her, she leaned back into the body behind her._

_"Hello Hina-chan." Naruto whispered into her ear, letting his breath warm her, then placed a kiss just behind her ear._

_"Mm, Naruto-kun, you're late." She tilted her head foreward to give him more neck to kiss and held on to his hands around her._

_"No, you are."_

_Hinata was confused. She was here and he wasn't. How was she late?_

_"But I looked around and you weren't here yet."_

_"Not here, Love. There." Naruto pointed to a large waterfall that wasn't there earlier, but definitely belonged. A soft blue light come from behind the water, giving it an ethereal presence._

_"It feels like..." Hinata trailed off, unsure of exactly why she was feeling drawn towards it._

_"Me. You wanted to help me Hina-chan, remember?" The Naruto that was holding her turned into a cold mist and disappeared in the wind._

_And just like that, Hinata remembered what she was supposed to do. She only briefly wondered why she didn't have to make the portal this time, but walked towards the falls over the water. As she got closer, the light began pulsing and getting stronger. The cascading water parted like a curtain as she drew near, and behind, she saw her destination._

-----------------------------------------------

**"About time you showed up. And what was with that damned jutsu! Couldn't you at least get my butt out of the air?!"** Kyuubi wasn't mad about the body position he fell asleep in, after all, Naruto was the one that would wake up that way, but she DID put him in that position.

"Do all of you 'all-powerful' demons complain this much?" Hinata looked around and took in what little there was to see. It was just a very long, dark hallway that was dripping with what she hoped was water off the sides. There were two pipes along the ceiling that ran the length of the hall as far as she could tell. One was about the width of her arm, pulsing with a deep red light, the other was much larger, so much so that she could easily crawl though it. It was pulsing blue in time with the red one, only brighter.

**_"Women... they can be demon _or_ mortal... They all turn vicious at some point..._"** Kyuubi couldn't wait to get back in his cage. **"You're a pain in the butt, you know that, right?"**

Hinata gave a depreciating grin and made a shooing motion to tell him to get moving. With a shake of his head, he did so.

"So where exactly are we? I mean, this isn't like a normal dream this time."

**"No, this time, we are in a place that represents Naruto's mind and body. These halls are his physical form, for a lack of a better way to say it, and these pipes are his chakra circulatory system. That is what these halls follow, as that is what we are actually using to communicate with each other. Naruto had to always use these pathways to get to me whenever he wants to talk."**

"Do you talk often?"

**"We do now, yes. Now, he doesn't have to use these halls because he has begun to fuse with my chakra. Now I tweak his body to increase strength, healing, chakra, etc. Anything I can do to help him out and keep him alive."**

Hinata stopped trying to figure out where they were going after they passed the thirtieth turn. She had attempted to use her Byakugan only to find that she couldn't. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, but at least she knew to expect it.

"So how exactly am I going to get him out of this? You said you couldn't touch the seal because you were the one it was created to block, and he can't because he is on the wrong side. I am assuming I can't just take it off or it totally disappears."

**"I will explain after we get there. It should only be a few more minutes. I've never actually had the chance to look at the seal, and there are a few different things we could try."**

Hinata didn't respond. She walked with Kyuubi in silence for another fifteen or so turns before she noticed that the darkness had a slight red tint to it. She assumed that meant they were getting closer since, as she kept watching, it got brighter.

As they got to a point where they had one turn left, Kyuubi stopped and turned to Hinata. **"Once this is done, you will open a portal much like you did in your own dream world. I will put Naruto to sleep almost immediately so that he doesn't wake up with you in here and who knows what would happen. Leave as fast as you can once I am back in."** At her nod, he led the way around the corner.

When Hinata stepped in to the room, she first noticed the bars that went up in to the darkness above. Then she noticed the kanji for 'seal' in the middle, and behind that, her Naruto laying in the fetal position, breathing hard and his whole body shaking. She stifled a quick gasp and ran to the bars.

"Naruto!"

He didn't respond.

**"Its a worse than I thought it would be. He is getting chakra faster than I thought he would. We needn't worry about him knowing that you were here, he won't realize anything is happening. Let's get started."** Kyuubi went straight for the seal and began observing the seal. Several minutes passed before he thought of the best plan that he would have time for.

Hinata watched as Naruto laid on the ground with occasional spasms of his entire body as the chakra tried to tear him apart. It was horrifying to watch. She just hoped Kyuubi would have an idea soon. She was really beginning to hate the waiting.

An eternity seemed to have passed before Kyuubi turned to Hinata, his face grim and voice a low rumble. **"Alright. You will have to place your hands on the seal and let me channel chakra through you to it."**

"Alright, but why can you use chakra and I can't? Is it because you were sealed inside of here?"

**"Yes. Its a bit more compicated than that, but that is the simplified version. Now put your hands on the seal. I don't know how much time he has and his thrashing is bothering me."**

Hinata did as she was told and felt Kyuubi put his hands on her shoulder blades. She refrained from asking why he would do that and not perform seals since he had made a very good point. A moment passed before she felt fire course through her back and arms then out her hands into the seal. She tried to scream out but found her throat to not work. The pain quickly grew to the rest of her body and she could feel liquid fire in every molecule of her body. Had she been able to think, she would have thought about killing Kyuubi for not telling her about the pain. She would have still done it, but he could have warned her. The pain seemed to last forever.

Four minutes in to working through Hinata, Kyuubi was finally able to find the key knot. This was where the whole seal came together and where he could take temporary control over it. He took a few seconds to examine it and finally came to a conclusion. When he changed, this was going to hurt like hell.

When Naruto started thrashing about worse than he had been, Kyuubi decided to stop examining the key knot and just hope for the best. He opened the knot enough so that his chakra could slip through and grab Naruto.

**"Naruto! Get your mortal ass over here!"**

"Ky-Kyuub-bi?"

**"Follow my voice you idiot! If you don't meet me on this side of the seal, then you're as good as dead!"**

Kyuubi didn't hear a response, but he did feel Naruto getting a little closer. Kyuubi shouted encouragement and insults to get Naruto to approach. Once he was close enough, he reached through with his chakra and pulled him through the small opening he made in the loosened key knot. As soon as Naruto was out, the seal automatically sought out the nearest source of energy to maintain itself. Kyuubi made sure it would be him by being the one to keep the hole open. Thankfully, it was quick. Painful as hell to go through the small hole, but quick.

Hinata had never been more happy to fall. She slumped to the floor as soon as the chakra going through her was done. She was weak and only the memory of the pain remained, but she was at least lucid. She looked past the bars to see Kyuubi in his natural form, laying down and apparently asleep. She would have thought dead if it wasn't for the rise and fall of his furry chest. She looked beside her and saw Naruto doing the same. Finally no longer having spasms and looking relieved to be done with the pain. She sat there looking at him for an unknown amount of time, only broken out of her reverie by Kyuubi's voice.

**"Girl, you ... can't stay."** He took a moment to catch his breath. **"I'll send you ... back. Let ... him rest."** There wasn't any more talking. She simply found herself rolling over in the bed and then off of it with a thump.

Hinata looked outside and saw that it was still in the dead of night. She looked over to where she had left Naruto and found him in the same position she had left him in, his butt sticking in the air and arms flat on the ground, laying staight along his sides. Only now, he had a small dribble of drool running down his chin. Hinata briefly thought about what had just happened, skipping over the pain, and decided she couldn't kill Kyuubi while he was inside of Naruto, but she could still get him angry by calling him things like 'fluffy', 'furball' and anything else she could think up. She would have to wait until Naruto told her though.

Hinata got up and put Naruto into bed, idling thinking about finding some way to make him eat more than ramen. He was far too light. She put him in to bed and crawled into bed next to him. She pressed up against his front and wrapped one of his arms around her, getting comfortable and going back to sleep.

"Good night, Naruto-kun."

-----------------------------------------------

The entire village was out to see the group of ninja leave. It was relatively early out and they had been given all of the Enura clan jutsu to give to the Yamanaka clan. Hinata had made a large batch of the food they had left for the return trip. She was very pleased with Naruto's reaction when she told him why she had been cooking so much more that morning.

"Its a shame you coudn't stay and help us out a little longer. We could have really used your help knocking down some of the other damaged buildings and clear away the rubble." Obi was talking to the whole group before they left. They had said their goodbyes to the rest of the village and Obi was all that was left.

"Well, maybe we can still help you!" Naruto put his hands together in his favourite seal and yelled. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Immediately, the entire village filled with a huge number of orange-clad Naruto's. There had to easily be roughly a thousand of them around. "There, you can tell them what to do and they'll do it! Bye!" The group left while the villagers were still gaping at the clones.

A few minutes after leaving the town, Kakashi looked over to Naruto from the top of his ever-present orange book. "Naruto, if you increased your chakra reserves that much, how did you have enough control to make shadow clones the first time you tried to use chakra afterwards?"

Naruto shrugged while the others listened intently. Especially Hinata, who knew what really happened. "I don't know, actually. Afterwards, my chakra control was a whole lot better. I always had better control when I was using a lot of chakra, actually." Naruto trailed off as he thought about it. He knew that Kyuubi had changed things when he took control. He was taller, faster, stronger and his chakra levels were higher by huge amounts. His control was almost perfect in comparison to what it was before. Once the fuzzball woke up, he planned on asking more questions.

Everyone just left his comment as it was. They didn't want to press for now. They could ask more questions later, after all.

-------------------------------

Everyone had pitched camp that night about an hour before nightfall. They had made it to the same clearing they had used on their way there and decided they would use it again. Lee set up the tents while Naruto went out to get firewood and the girls went to catch some fish for dinner. Kakashi and Anko were arguing about who won the bet and were unavailable to help the kids out with their jobs.

"I'm telling you, Kakashi, I won! You said ten days. They were done in thirteen! I said fifteen days, I was closest!"

"And I'm telling you, you can't count that first day since all they did was get settle in! So it was a tie!" Kakashi knew he was screwed. He just had to do what he could to try and get Anko to agree to that so that they may be able to just call it even and forget the whole thing.

"The whole thing started as soon as they arrived. They had to come up with a cover to get in, so it started then. And you are definitely going to become Jiraiya's mental love toy!" Anko relished the flash of fear that crossed Kakashi's face.

"You're horrible, Anko. I just want you to know that. Is there anything else I could do instead?" Kakashi almost felt bad for the hint of pleading in his voice, but decided that he was not in a position to worry about it.

Anko thought a few moments, letting him sweat it out when she realized she could probably think of some better things. "Let me think about it. I will let you know the day after we get back. I want to get a few possible ideas and maybe run this by Kurenai. I am sure she could think of a few things." Anko loved the fear that radiated off of him. He was putty in her hands.

---------------------------------

Sakura and Hinata talked together while they walked to the river. This was the first chance Sakura had to get Hinata alone in some time and she didn't want to lose it.

"So, how are things going between you and Naruto?" Sakura tried to keep her voice nonchalant, but Hinata could tell she was dieing to know.

"Things are wonderful. He likes to snuggle in his sleep." This last was said with a rather large grin as she looked up at Sakura. Sakura, for her part, blushed as she thought of Lee doing the same thing during their nights.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, are you any closer to telling him how you feel? Do you have any idea about how he feels?"

Hinata was quiet a few moments while she thought about a way to respond. "I plan to showing him how I feel after we get back to Konoha. I have a plan, I just need to get everything ready for it."

Again, Sakura caught the destinction between 'tell him' and 'show him'. She was going to have to find a way to keep track of what she planned that day. But then, maybe she would tell her this time. "So, you've figured out what you are going to do then? What, if you don't mind my asking?"

Hinata allowed a very happy smile to grace her face. She knew what she wanted to do now. "Yes, I do know what I plan on doing. The night we get back, I am going to show him in a way that I think even he won't be able to mistake."

"And? That would be?" Sakura was getting very excited. Whatever Hinata had planned sounded very good.

Hinata was quiet again for the last few moments until they got to the river. "I would rather not tell you. You would not allow me to do it."

Sakura wasn't sure to make of that. It could mean so many different things, good and bad. Now she REALLY had to see if she could find it out. She stayed quiet while Hinata undressed part way and dove into the water, tossing up fish for Sakura to pin to a tree with kunai. Once they had enough for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning, they left to go back to meet the others.

They walked back to camp once done, with Sakura trying to think of all the different things that Hinata may do. She kept comping back to how she would specify 'show him' rather than 'tell him'. Sakura couldn't think of what Hinata could actually DO, that would be something she wouldn't let her do. She couldn't think of anything that Hinata would do that she wouldn't be completely for.

They arrived to find their tents set up and enough firewood to last a week piled up a few feet from a circle of stones that formed the fire pit. Kakashi was paying an odd amount of attention to Anko who was playing with an odd assortment of little grey and brown fuzzy things. Lee was off to the side and doing pushups and Naruto was by the fire pit, poking the beginnings of a fire with a stick.

-----------------------------

Naruto had gathered enough firewood that he didn't think anyone would have to leave camp for it. He set up the fire pit and started a little fire, giving it the occasional poke with a stick he found towards the beginning. When he heard twigs crunch from the trees that were in the direction that the girls had gone off in, he turned and saw Sakura break through the tree line, followed by Hinata. When he saw Hinata, he was left speechless. She was dressed in what she had left in, but her clothes clung to her body, making him believe she was the one who dove for the fish, and her hair was weighted down by water, straight down and clinging to her face, still dripping wet. She looked so beautiful.

------------------------------

Sakura noticed Naruto's blatant staring at Hinata and smiled to herself. _"I don't think Naruto is going to be too hard to convince."_

Hinata noticed him looking also, but pretended not to. He would understand fully tomorrow night, and she wanted to make sure he did. She would make him understand fully. Hinata and Sakura set their catch of fish down next to the fire and Sakura went to go talk about what she had noticed between Hinata and Naruto. Hinata sat next to Naruto, very close to Naruto, and began to clean the fish with Naruto.

When everyone was eating the last of their dinner, Anko decided to speak up. "Alright you guys! Time for bed, boys in that tent, girls in that one! No more naughty nightly escapades!"

Naruto got angry that Anko would suggest that Hinata or he would do something like that. He didn't know what Sakura and Lee did at night, but they didn't do anything. "Hey! We aren't like that you old woman! You're as bad as Ero Sannin!"

"Hey, you brat! I am NOTHING like that old pervert!" Anko was sorely pissed! That blonde brat had the audacity to say she was like that old pervert! There were some lines that shouldn't be crossed and that was one of them.

"You said that we did bad things at night! Ero Sannin is the only other person who has said that I would do something like that!"

The others enjoyed watching Anko and Naruto go at it as if they were brother and sister. They didn't hate each other, but they loved to get on each other's nerves. Naruto was ... well, Naruto like that.

"Alright, just shut up and go to bed you brat!"

"Hag!"

"Punk!"

"Witch!"

Anko put Naruto into a headlock and squeezed while Naruto flailed his arms at his sides like wings. She stopped and looked up sharply when she felt a stab of very strong killer intent, the source of which was one very pissed off looking Hinata. Normally, Anko would have loved to have played with this, but this was something that terrified her to an extreme. She could see the expression for what it was; Hinata saying 'Mine'.

Anko let Naruto go and motioned towards the tents. "Off you go, and don't let me catch you trying to escape!"

Naruto grumbled all the way over to his tent where Lee was smiley brightly at him. "Don't worry, Naruto! She only wishes to see the fires of your youthful energy so she can bask in it's beauty!" Naruto looked at Lee with slightly widened eyes.

"I bet you've been waiting to talk like that for a while, huh?" Lee's blush was enough confirmation for Naruto.

----------------------------------

Naruto and the group walked through the Konoha gates with an excited Naruto talking about his immediate plans. "We should go to get some ramen before we go see Granny Tsunade!"

"Naruto! Tsunade is our leader! Show some proper respect!" Sakura never won her arguement with Naruto for this, but she always argued with him about it. Eventually, she would win.

"Well, she IS an old lady! She only looks young because of a strong genjutsu! You know that!"

"Naruto! You will s-"

"Sakura! Hinata!" Ino rushed up to the group and engulfed the girls in a strong hug. "Welcome back! We should get together after you debrief with the Hokage!"

"Sorry, Ino, but I have plans for tonight. We can meet up tomorrow though. Also, we have some new jutsu scrolls from the Enura clan for you that we will give to you tomorrow as well." Hinata would NOT allow herself to be distracted from her plans.

"Oh, alright. New jutsus? Excellent! Well, hurry up then!" Ino was in a hurry anyway, but the idea of getting a clan's jutsu's was interesting enough. She wanted to see what her parents knew about the Enura clan to get an idea of what they were going to get.

"Hey, Ino! I need to meet up with you soon, I will explain what kinds of jutsu's you'll be getting and have some other stuff I want to go over with you." Sakura was going to need a cohort for her spying mission tonight, and Ino would be perfect.

"Alright. Just come by the shop as soon as you can." Ino has known Sakura for long enough to know when she was excited, and her face and tone were screaming it. She watched as the group left for the Hokage tower and went home to get everything ready.

-----------------------------------

"Welcome back, everyone! So, tell me, how did everything go? Tsunade was very pleased to see everyone home and apparently, not damaged. She listened as Sakura explained their mission in excrutiating detail. She noted Naruto's henge of Hinata, the description of what happened when Naruto was hit with Kokoro's worst fear jutsu and the release of massive amounts of chakra and his angry disposition thereafter. She was also very surprised at the Enura clan giving up all of their jutsu scrolls to the Yamanaka clan. They were going to greatly appreciate that.

"Excellent work. I would like to speak with Kakashi, Anko and Naruto if I could. The rest of you are dismissed." She watched as those who were leaving gave a questioning look towards Naruto and then left as ordered. Then she turned to Naruto after they had left and she put up a silencing ward around the room.

"I don't suppose you can tell me what they were missing?"

Naruto looked nervous but began his own explanation. "The best I can understand is this: When I was hit by Kokoro's jutsu, it made me live my worse fear. However, my worse fear is inside of me. It allowed the Kyuubi to take complete control and placed me within the seal. After that, I began to acquire chakra far faster than I could have ever believed possible. There was so much of it that I felt like I was being ripped apart. Anyway, after a while, I heard Kyuubi telling me to come to him. He was both encouraging me and insulting me to get to him, which kind of pissed me off, but it worked, and when I woke up, I was like this. Faster, stronger, better chakra control, better senses and my body was altered a little. I have more muscle definition and I am a little taller now also."

"So, he willingly went back into the seal?" Tsunade was incredulous. The Demon Lord Kyuubi willingly put himself back into the seal. Why would he want to imprison himself?

"I assume so. He is in there and he let me out of it. It seemed to have exhausted him though. I plan on asking exactly what happened when he wakes back up. Until then, I am me again."

"That would explain where all the chakra came from. It was released as excess for some reason." Kakashi didn't really want to get involved withthe conversation, but he also didn't want to seem like he was useless.

"Naruto, you will question Kyuubi when he wakes up and see what he can tell you. Understood?"

"I plan to do just that, Baachan." Naruto loved seeing that vein pop into existence. It meant he was still just as effecient as usual. But that didn't mean he didn't know when to run. As soon as he saw that vein, he jumped up and rushed out of the room laughing.

Anko watched him go out and then looked back at Tsunade with a cheeky grin. "Well, at least now we know he really is Naruto and not Kyuubi playing a trick!"

---------------------------------------

As soon as she left the Hokage's tower, Sakura confirmed that Hinata was planning on going to the Hyuuga compound and then to get everything ready for her plan that night. Then she high-tailed it over to Ino's to explain what was going on. When she went into the Yamanaka flower shop, she found Ino behind the counter in the empty shop and quickly ushered her upstairs with Ino telling her mother she would be upstairs with Sakura to hear about her mission.

When the door closed, Sakura started immediately. "Okay, I will tell you about the scrolls you will be getting, but we have something far more important to begin with!"

Ino was a little worried, Sakura appeared happy and excited, but sounded like something serious was going down. "Sakura, what's going on?"

"Hinata plans on 'showing' Naruto how she feels tonight. I talked with her about it a few times and she keeps making the destinction between 'talking' and 'showing'. And she said she is going to do it tonight and she said that she wouldn't tell me what it was because I would try to stop her." Sakura gave a few moments for that to sink in as she watched Ino's eyes widen with the possabilities.

"What does she plan? What can she do that you wouldn't approve of?"

"I have no clue, but I want to find out. She plans to leave her house soon and 'get everything ready' for it. I want to tail her. Get your communications equipment and dress for a night operation, then meet me across from the main entrance. Agreed?"

Ino's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Yes!"

The two of them began their preperations to meet and then follow Hinata to see what she had planned.

--------------------------------------------

"He is ready to see you, Hyuuga-sama" The attendant led Hinata to her father's office and opened the door for her, closing it once past. Hinata sat on the cushion in front of him and waited for him to initiate the conversation. It took a few minutes while he finished signing a few documents, then he looked to her.

"Yes, Hinata? You wished to speak with me?"

"Yes, Father. I wish to speak of my future and of what I would like to do about it." Hinata kept her eyes on her father and didn't stutter. Hyuuga Hiashi didn't miss any of this. She appeared to have gotten over her insecurity issues during this last mission.

"And what of your future would you like to discuss?"

"I know you plan to make Hanabi the heir of the Hyuuga clan. I don't care for the position. However, I know this makes me liable for an arranged marriage. You have always based my worth on fighting Hanabi. I would like to make an offer for you. I fight anyone you wish me to, within the Hyuuga clan, and I be allowed to marry whomever I choose, whenever I choose." Hinata spoke with her new confidence and without a stutter. That alone made Hiashi consider the wager, for that was what it really was.

"And if you lose, Hinata? What then?"

Hinata was quiet a moment, and he wondered what it meant. "Then ... anything, Father. I don't plan on losing. Regardless of my opponent."

Hiashi was quiet for a few minutes while he thought. He looked to be reading the paper on his desk, but that was just so he didn't look to be just sitting. "I take it, then, that you have a suiter in mind?"

"I do."

"And who is he?"

"I will not tell you until after I win."

"You mean after your battle."

"I mean after I win. Since there is a possability, slim though it is, I would say that you can marry me off to whomever you choose and I will go quietly."

"I will discuss this with the Elders. Wait here." With that he left and didn't come back for just over ten minutes. When he arrived, he looked grim.

"The Elders agree with the terms. They are quite fond of the idea of you being ready to marry politically without complaining about it. However, they want you to fight Hanabi since you have never beaten her. You are to fight now."

"Very well, Father. Let's begin." With that, she got up and waited to follow him to the dojo. He simply nodded and led the way. Once there, they found all of the Elders, most looking pleased, already sitting in their appointed seats. Hinata took her place in the middle of the sparring mat and waited for the arrival of her sister. It was only a four minute wait until a furious looking Hanabi showed up and stood next to Hinata.

"Hanabi, Hinata has made a wager with myself and the Elders. She is to have a match with any Hyuuga. Should she win, she is allowed to marry whoever she wishes and whenever she wishes. Should she fail, she willingly supports a political marriage and your assention as heir of the Hyuuga clan. The Elders have decided that you will be the one who she is to fight. Do you have any questions?"

"One, Father. For Hinata, if I may." At Hiashi's nod, she looked to her sister.

"Hinata, you have never beaten me in a fight. What would make you think you can beat any Hyuuga to accomplish this? Did you think they would go easy on you and give you a weak opponent?"

Hinata shook her head. "I am sorry, Hanabi. But I expected them to make me fight Father." She ignored the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "While it remains true I have never beaten you, it also remains true that every time I look at you, I see Mother. And I could never bring myself to really fight against you. I never allowed anyone to see me truly fight to my fullest potential except one. But I have something I need to do, and this is one of the things I need to do to complete it. I am sorry, Hanabi, but this is going to hurt. I have little time and will need to complete this quickly." The fact that Hinata hadn't stuttered even once, especially while saying she had always taken it easy on her, shook Hanabi to the core. But then she realized she said she had always taken it easy on her and that was replaced by fury. She would not let Hinata, of all people, talk to her that way.

"Then we fight, and you will lose." Hanabi took the standard Hyuuga fighting stance. Hinata merely nodded at her and took a stance that resembled the Hyuuga Gentle Fist style, but was actually part of the style she had begun developing after the first Chuunin exam. Her own style.

Hiashi was worried. And he was worried for Hanabi. He had never once seen Hinata like this, and it worried him. She had never been the same after nearly being kidnapped by Cloud ninja, but this was nearly frightening to watch.

"Begin!"

Normally, he would watch as Hanabi charged while Hinata went on the defensive, but this time, Hinata charged as well, only a bit faster than Hanabi. They met and matched blow for blow, their chakra coming out in visible blasts from their hands. Hanabi was the picture-perfect definition of the Hyuuga stances, moving from one form into another. Hinata, however, was coming in from odd angles and nearly reaching around Hanabi's defenses three times to Hanabi's one. Hinata began to increase her speed, going into a purely offensive series of movements, forcing Hanabi to jump back and retreat and take a familiar stance.

**"Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!"** (Divination Field - 64 Strikes) With that, Hanabi charged Hinata, preparing to close down every one of her Tenketsu.

**"Shugohakke Rokujyuu Yonshou!"** (Guardian of Eight Divination Seals: 64 Strikes) Hinata formed a sphere around herself of stands of chakra she expelled from her hands, creating her own shield from Hanabi's chakra-infused palm strikes. She maintained it as Hanabi struck, yelling out in pain as her own chakra was expelled, but unable to go beyond the shield, making it explode on her own hands. As soon as Hanabi pulled back to keep from hurting herself, Hinata struck, hitting Hanabi in the neck and causing her to black out. She went ahead and caught her before she hit the ground, though she did just lay her there. Once done, she turned to her father and the Elders, who were staring in wide-eyed shock.

"As per our agreement, I will marry whom I choose and when I choose to." She bowed, remembering to show the required respect, and turned to walk out.

"Wait! Where did you learn that technique?"

Hinata didn't turn to see who spoke, she just kept walking and replied, "I created it. And I really am in a hurry." Then she was gone.

------------------------------------------

Sakura and Ino had shown up only ten minutes after Sakura left the Hokage tower. In that time, Sakura had explained their mission and what she had learned about the Enura clan from Lord Enura himself and that he had offered all of his clan's jutsu scrolls to the Yamanaka clan. They were given to Hinata to give to the Yamanaka clan when she could. And since she wanted to 'show' Naruto how she felt for him, they decided that would explain why she wanted to wait to give them to Ino. They had gotten to the point of asking each other what Hinata may have planned when they saw her exit the main gate and go towards the shopping district of Konoha. The two girls looked at each other, grinned, and took off in persuit.

------------------------------------------

Hinata found herself going to the first store on her mental list. She had most of what she needed, but needed to get something that she didn't have on her and didn't want to take from the Hyuuga compound for fear of unneeded questions. When she found the first store, an older store called "Imitari's Ninjas". Not a great store, but they sell to Naruto, and that is why she buys whatever she can from them when not expected to buy elsewhere. She entered the store, with the usual jingle from the bell going off.

"Ah! Hello Miss Hyuuga! Welcome back! What can I help you with today?" Jona, the owner of the store was always a happy man. Another reason she liked him, he reminded her of Naruto.

"I need rope please. Nothing too thick, but strong enough to hold a ninja down if possible."

"Ah, well, you are in luck! We have actually been developing a new material for about a year and made a rope out of it. It actually becomes stronger as it absorbs more chakra. It can also be used as a secondary chakra reserve! Though, that part hasn't worked out too well in the testing..." Jona trailed off a little there. "But, if you're using it to tie someone up, and they don't try to absorb the chakra, then everything will be fine."

"What if they do try to?"

"Then they get a little loopy. Basically, it make 'em dizzy. It only lasts as long as they try to absorb it, but we haven't been able to stop that part."

"I'll take some then. About twenty feet please. And do you have any paper seals in stock?" Hinata had learned that paper seals were sold here, but had to be specifically requested as they could do some interesting things if in the wrong hands.

"That we do, what would you like?"

"A paralyses one if you have it, but only if the effects only last as long as the seal is on the target."

"Coming right up."

After getting her order, Hinata placed it all into a bag and left, deciding to seek out Naruto where she knew he would be, the ramen stand.

---------------------------------------------

"What the hell do you think she needs with rope and a paralyses seal?" Ino was beyond confused at this point. So far, it appeared more as though Hinata was preparing herself for her next mission rather than getting prepared to tell Naruto how she felt.

"I don't know, probably just some shopping to be ready for her next mission. That rope idea is ingenious though." Sakura ignored Ino's rolling eyes as they followed Hinata towards Ichiraku Ramen. It appeared Hinata was finally going to start her plan.

"I hope she is done soon, I am getting tired of the waiting." Sakura almost agreed, but remembered Hinata's expressions while discussing it with her, and thought that it had to end up good and told Ino as much.

"I hope so." Ino muttered.

----------------------------------------------

Hinata found Naruto on his usual stool, slurping away happily as he explained their mission. When she sat down, Naruto turned towards her and grinned broadly at her.

"Heya Hinata! Want some ramen? My treat!"

"Sure, Naruto." Hinata smiled at him and ordered a pork ramen, eating delicately while she listened to Naruto continueing to explain the mission where he left off.

When Hinata finished off her bowl of ramen, she sat and talked with Naruto a few minutes until he was done. At that point, she decided to begin.

"Ah, Naruto? Do you mind if I walk with you? I am going by your apartment anyway and this way, I have someone to talk to on the way."

He smiled at her and scratched the back of his head. "Sure! Wanna go by rooftop or road?"

"Road please."

They began walking and Naruto began talking about being home in Konoha compared to how they were living the past two weeks, with Hinata giving her own views as well. Both, it seemed, would miss their last mission, though neither said it out right. Neither noticed they were being followed by two nosey women that stayed back a good distance with Hinata's Byakugan in mind. When they reached Naruto's, they split up and Hinata walked a small distance and then back, giving the illusion of going off to her next stop.

-----------------------------------------------

"What is she doing!" Ino couldn't understand what this master plan was. Hinata seemed to go up, get worried and come back, but without the getting worried part.

"I don't know. She doesn't look like she is getting nervous or scared like she used to. Your mind jutsu worked beautifully, by the way!"

Ino smiled and flipped her hair back and was about to reply, but noticed Hinata began doing something else again, so watched her begin to climb up to Naruto's apartment from outside.

"What the hell?"

"I don't know, let's go up to the roof of the building across the street and watch with our binoculars. We can always jump across and look through one of the windows if we need to. He has one to each room." Ino agreed to Sakura's plan and they placed themselves at the best place to watch Hinata, thankful it was dark out now. Though they both wished they had thought to get dinner.

"Hey Ino. Why doesn't one of us get some take-out while the other keeps an eye out and we can communicate by our walkie-talkies if something is going on?"

"Sounds like a plan, I'll go, I am getting bored anyway."

"Alright. Get me whatever."

Ino was gone in a blue and Sakura sat back and watched Hinata hiding out under the overhang of Naruto's apartment with her Byakugan active. "What in the world are you doing?"

It would be two minutes after Ino got back with the food that they would see Hinata leap into action.

-----------------------------------------

Hinata finally got to the point she was waiting for. Naruto had gone to the shower, which she rather enjoyed watching, and then gone to bed. She had waited several minutes, waiting with her Byakugan active, to watch for when he actually fell asleep. Once he did, she waited a minute and then began her plan. Using chakra, she scaled down to the window to his living room, opened the window and let herself in. Once there, she quietly made her way to Naruto's room and took a moment to notice how he was laying. She pulled out the seal she had gotten and placed it on his forehead, using just a touch of chakra to activate it. Once done, she used the rope and tied him to his bed, then deactivated the seal.

-----------------------------------------

Ino cussed at their luck and both girls quickly jumped across the road and over to Naruto's bedroom window, knowing that was where he had gone. They got there just in time to see Hinata tieing him up to his bed and deactivate the seal.

"What in the hell does she think she's doing!" Ino very confused now. This was no way to tell someone you loved them.

"Hell if I know!" Sakura was just as confused as Ino. Neither of them could figure out what was going on, and it pissed them both off. They both froze, however, when they saw Naruto wake up, and Hinata pull out a kunai.

------------------------------------------

Naruto could hear a very pleasant voice telling him to wake up. It was a very sweet and melodious voice, and soft too. He blinked his eyes rapidly a few times and looked around the room, only to see Hinata standing there in front of him.

"Hi-Hinata?" Hinata liked listening to Naruto's voice still half asleep. It was rather endearing.

"Yes, Naruto." She paused as he tried to get up and failed, only now noticing the rope tied around his wrists and ankles. Now he was fully awake and he watched as she pulled out a kunai from her leg pouch.

"Um... Hinata, whatever I did, I'm really, really sorry. You really don't need that!" Naruto was getting very scared. This was all too remeniscent of many occasions in his past.

"Don't worry Naruto, I won't hurt you." She walked over towards Naruto and pulled slightly at the collar of his tee-shirt. Putting the kunai, point first, under the collar, she lifted up and pulled down to rip his shirt open from the front, exposing his chest.

"HINATA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Naruto wasn't sure if he should still be scared or not, but he WAS rather embarassed. Hinata had just cut open his shirt and was now working on his pants!

---------------------------------------------

"HINATA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Sakura and Ino both crouched with mouths hanging open as they watched Hinata first cut open Naruto's shirt, and then begin working on his pants. The ability to think had left both of them at this point. They were both watching, in morbid fascination, as Hinata systematically cut off Naruto's clothes, moving fluidly as though this was something she had been taught to do, knowing which steps to take after the last.

They were watching as Hyuuga Hinata was beginning to rape Uzumaki Naruto.


	8. Darkened Desires Unleashed

Author's Note WARNING! This chapter begin with a lemon! That means NC-17, Rated R, Adults only. If you are not of legal age in your area, then skip ahead to "Lemonover" using CTRL+F.

Also, DragonMan180 and TimeShifter were the only ones who thought about the moral repercussions of Hinata's actions (at the point of this being posted). I'm not sure how bad that is, exactly, but I think that would normally be a bad thing to have so few. Make that three now. Allicat who is not a registered user! And I agree with you Allicat.

Paladeus

-------------------------------------------------

Previously:

Naruto could hear a very pleasant voice telling him to wake up. It was a very sweet and melodious voice, and soft too. He blinked his eyes rapidly a few times and looked around the room, only to see Hinata standing there in front of him.

"Hi-Hinata?" Hinata liked listening to Naruto's voice still half asleep. It was rather endearing.

"Yes, Naruto?" She sounded for the world as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Hinata paused as he tried to get up and failed, only now noticing the rope tied around his wrists and ankles. Now he was fully awake and he watched as she pulled out a kunai from her leg pouch.

"Um... Hinata, whatever I did, I'm really, really sorry. You really don't need that!" Naruto was getting very scared. This was all too remeniscent of many occasions in his past.

"Don't worry Naruto, I won't hurt you." She walked over towards Naruto and pulled slightly at the collar of his tee-shirt. Putting the kunai, point first, under the collar, she lifted up and pulled down to rip his shirt open from the front, exposing his chest.

"HINATA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Naruto wasn't sure if he should still be scared or not, but he WAS rather embarassed. Hinata had just cut open his shirt and was now working on his pants!

---------------------------------------------

"HINATA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Sakura and Ino both crouched with mouths hanging open as they watched Hinata first cut open Naruto's shirt, and then begin working on his pants. The ability to think had left both of them at this point. They were both watching, in morbid fascination, as Hinata systematically cut off Naruto's clothes, moving fluidly as though this was something she had been taught to do, knowing which steps to take after the last.

They were watching as Hyuuga Hinata was beginning to rape Uzumaki Naruto.

Author's note: Final Warning! Lemon alert! Adults only until it says "Lemonover"!

---------------------------------------------

Lemon-Starting -- Type CTRL+F then "Lemonover" to get to end of it.

---------------------------------------------

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Now with they story.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hinata cut off Naruto's pants, leaving him only in his boxers. Naruto pulled against the ropes binding him to the bed only to have them tighten around his wrists as he pulled. It loosened as he stopped fighting against it.

"Hi-Hinata, what are you doing? You can't do this! The village will hate you if you do!"

Hinata straddled Naruto's waist and bent down to whisper in his ear, placing her hands on his chest. "I know your secret, Naruto-kun." She whispered it with almost no sound, but he heard it none-the-less, and he froze stock still for a moment while it registered.

"YOU KNOW?"

-------------------------------------------

"YOU KNOW?"

Ino and Sakura had no clue what Hinata just whispered, but apparently, it scared the hell out of Naruto considering his entire upper half just paled. They watched as Hinata sat back up slowly, trailing her fingers over Naruto's well-defined chest as she did.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. I know. I've cared for you since we went to the Academy together. I've loved you since we became Genin together. When I found out what you protect this entire village from, it made me love you all the more. I don't care about it, Naruto-kun." To prove her point, she bent down and kissed him solidly on the lips, placing her hands on the side of his face, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears that came from knowing she knew.

Ino and Sakura jumped slightly when Naruto pulled his head back and yelled, "You can't! I can't! I'm not allowed to love anyone! No one is allowed to love me! Don't you see!"

"Naruto-kun, I do love you, and that is why I am doing this. For so long, I have wanted to tell you and was too scared that you would reject me. During our mission, I realized you seemed to like me too, so I decided that, knowing how you grew up without anyone aside from a few who only treated you as family, showing you what love was, then you might get as scared as I did, so I came up with this. There is no way to deny why I am doing this, and no way to refuse to believe that I mean it. Even with your secret."

Naruto had begun shaking his head as she started talking about caring for him again. "No! It isn't allowed! The village will hate you too! That was why I always tried to ask Sakura out! She was safe! She would never care for me!"

This proclomation shocked both Ino and Sakura all the more. "What the hell can they be talking about? A secret that would make the village hate her if she cared for Naruto? That he would pretend to like you because you wouldn't like him back? What the hell?"

"I don't know, Ino, but this is getting weird. Apparently, Naruto knows what she's talking about."

"Should we stop this?"

Sakura snorted, "I think Hinata would kill us. I mean that literally. But also, this could be a good show..."

Ino gaped at her friend in shock. "Sakura! Are you a pervert?"

Sakura shrugged as she grinned mischeviously. "Everone is to an extent. You can't tell me you aren't curious about how this will play out." The last was said almost accusingly. And by Ino's blushing, she was spot on.

"He did always have incredible stamina and he does have a rather attractive body..." Ino realized she was thinking out loud and internally berated herself. "Oh alright, but what do we do if he doesn't want to do this?"

Sakura grinned and patted Ino on the back. "Spoken like a real closet pervert such as myself. And trust me, he wants this. The only thing I think stopping him is whatever this secret is."

------------------------------------------------

"Naruto, I know what may happen if I am with you, and I don't care. And I am going to prove this to you." Hinata bent down and began to kiss Naruto's neck, nipping slightly at the skin, and then licking it to soothe the pain. She delighted in feeling him harden beneath her.

"Hinata, I don't want them to hate you too. They will hate you and your whole clan! Just because of me-AHH" Hinata had bitten him on the shoulder to make him stop talking. It was really quite distracting.

"Naruto, I don't care about the villagers, and there ARE ways to make them agreeable to the situation. Now shut up and accept the fact that this is about to happen, and from there, whatever you want to do, we can do." Hinata kissed him gently on the mouth and trailed a few soft kisses down his chin and neck. "Naruto, I do love you. And I don't care what the village thinks. I would destroy anyone who doesn't allow us to be together. If ... you want to be together, that is." Hinata looked at Naruto, wondering if he would say he didn't.

"Hinata, I do want that, but the village-"

"The village can burn for all I care. If they won't allow us to be happy, then they aren't worth protecting. If they won't allow us to live, then they can try whatever they want, but I WILL destroy anyone who doesn't let us live in peace together." This time, when she kissed him on the mouth again, he kissed back. After several pleasurable seconds, Hinata got off of Naruto's waist and stood just slightly off to the side, enjoying the slight look of confusion on his face. Hinata unzipped her jacket, silently rejoicing as Naruto's eyes widened, and then shrugged the jacket off.

"I have far more planned for tonight than just simply kissing you, Naruto-kun." She didn't whisper that. She let it come out strong, but in a low voice. Hinata slipped off her sandals and took off her shirt, all of this slowly, teasing him with time and letting him think about what she would do to him. Once she was done, she unbuttoned her pants and wriggled her hips slightly to let them fall. She watched as Naruto gulped and looked at her from top to bottom, obviously enjoying what he saw very much.

Naruto couldn't believe how beautiful a woman's body could trully be. He thought Hinata was gorgeous before, but this was awe-inspiring. Her skin was so smooth and pale, with only the smallest of scars from her missions. Her form and curves were completely perfect. His eyes roams from her slender shoulders and long arms, down her ample chest, down her firm stomach, over her rounded hips and down her long, slender legs. He could never imagine such perfection in anything but a her. When she moved, his breath caught in his throat. She walked over towards him again, her hips wavering enticingly as she reached a leg over him and straddled him again, just above his waist. She bent down and sucked gently on his neck, letting her hands pull his clothes out from under him as her tongue trailed along his neck and to his collarbone. She paid ample attention to when his breating became heavier and laboured.

"Hinata, can you release my hands?" Naruto's voice was heavy as he strained to reach out for Hinata. He wanted to touch her, to feel her.

"No, Naruto-kun. You're going to stay like this for a few more minutes. I am going to make sure you get as excited about this as I am." With that, she slid down, over Naruto's arousal, trailing kisses down his chest and stomach.

---------------------------------------------------

"That little minx!" Ino was proud of Hinata, while at the same time, shocked that she could do this. It was obvious Naruto wanted it now that they talked about whatever his secret was, and now she was just toying with him.

"I know! She's PLAYING with him!" Sakura was getting ideas for what she would do to Lee. She had to decide if she would go with her original plan, or decide that whatever he chose, would get switched to what SHE wanted. The only problem was, he could break out of those bindings as if they were paper.

"No, Naruto-kun. You're going to stay like this for a few more minutes. I am going to make sure you get as excited about this as I am." With that, she slid down, over Naruto's arousal, trailing kisses down his chest and stomach.

"Sweet Kami! Who would have thought Hinata had it in her?"

"Its always the quiet ones..." Sakura shook her head slightly, but kept her eyes focused on the show. "Let's be quiet now, it's about to start getting good."

"Mhm." Ino didn't trust her voice too much at this point.

--------------------------------------------------

Hinata kept her eyes focused on Naruto's face as she kissed down Naruto's chest and stomach, and felt him raise his hips slightly as she got lower, poking her in the chest with his erection. Her hands were trailing along his chest, scraping lightly with her nails as she lowered herself. When she got to his waist, she pulled her hands towards her and pulled down on his boxers, freeing him from it's confinement. She ignored Naruto as he strained against the ropes and cut off his boxers with her kunai since she couldn't pull them off completely.

Hinata grabbed him in her hand firmly and smiled as he thrust slightly while trying to break his bonds, making himself breathe heavily. She examined how soft and hot his dick felt in her hands. It was very hard, but soft and was very hot.

"Naruto-kun. Look at me." When he opened his eyes and stopped struggling against the ropes, she looked him in the eye and ran her tongue the length of him from the base to his head and back down again. She kept his eyes on hers as she went back up, and this time, took him into her mouth, sucking gently and tightening her lips around him.

Naruto had never felt anything like what Hinata was doing to him before. When he watched her lick him, he wanted nothing more than to lean his head back and enjoy the sensations she brought forth, but her eyes kept his glued to her. And when she took him into her hot, wet mouth, he wanted to take her head into his hands and make her go faster, rather than the antagonizingly slow pace she was currently setting. With each vertical movement, his breathing became heavier and he wanted nothing more than to break his bonds and do these same things to her, but her eyes still held him locked in their gaze.

Finally, Hinata started moving faster, and began to stroke him with her hands while she moved her head faster, sucking harder and began to caress his dick with her tongue, finding little places that made him jerk each time she hit it with the tip of her tongue. Her second hand began to gently squeeze his sack as she started taking him deeper into her mouth instead of just past his head. Each stroke caused her to take more of him in and he still couldn't look away. He could feel her breath on his skin each time she breathed out, and every now and then, she would make a quiet moaning sound that was almost unheard by his heaving breathing, that would send extra tingling sensations along his dick. He could feel himself hitting the back of her throat now as she took him half way into her mouth. He wanted to scream as she went down and stopped when he hit the back of her throat again, but he still couldn't do anything but watch her brows furrow slightly. Then her face became smooth again and she lowered herself further, causing him to enter her throat. This was an etirely stronger sensation. It was still hot and wet, but now it was compacting and engulfed him. She moved very slowly as she took him all the way in with her brow furrowing just a little as she concentrated. Once she was down to the base of him, she moved up a little fast and pulled him all the way out, breathing a moment and then taking him again, doing it all over again. Naruto pulled hard against his ropes as she started going faster again. She had decided a pace for her to move at while still looking at Naruto, and there were several minutes of pure bliss for Naruto until he felt himself feeling a need for release. He tried to warn Hinata what was about to happen, but she just kept moving until he finally broke eye contact, leaning his head back and half moaned, half screamed. He looked back to Hinata quickly before he came into her mouth only to find her moving faster until he finally came inside her mouth. Her eyes widened a little as he came several times with a little coming out of the side of her mouth, swallowing the rest. Naruto couldn't get past how sexy she looked with his cum on her chin as she continued a few more moments, sucking everything she could from him.

"Hi-Hin-Hinata, why didn't you stop when I told you what I was about to do?"

"Because I wanted to do that. So I did. Now for more." She smiled mischievesly at him as she got up off of him, with his cum still shining in the moonlight on her chin. She stood next to him and kissed him, sliding her tongue against his lips, letting him know she wanted in. When he opened his mouth, he could taste his own salty fluids still on her lips and in her mouth. She pulled back far too soon and stood just over his shoulders.

"What are-?"

"Shh. Just do as I tell you, Naruto-kun." With that, she slipped off her panties, letting him watch as lowered them, and then unclasped her bra and tossed both garments to the side, then she lowered herself, placing her legs under his arms on either side of him and lowered herself to his face. "I want you to pleasure me, Naruto-kun, just like I pleasured you. Lick me, Naruto-kun." Hinata relished the feel of Naruto's tongue snaking it's way inside of her, parting her pussy lips open and sliding around randomly. She jerked her hips into Naruto's face as his tongue flicked over her clit, making her moan out loudly. Apparently, Naruto was paying attention to how she reacted as he started to concentrate on that spot, licking it slowly and hard with the tip of his tongue. He experimented with different methods, first slowly and hard, then fast and light, flicking her clit quickly, making her start to grind her hips over his face, coating it in her own fluids.

"Lick lower, and slide your tongue in and out, Naruto-kun!" Hinata gave a long, high-pitched, though quiet, scream as she felt Naruto obeying her commands. She leaned back, letting him thrust his tongue in and out and a rather slow pace, just enjoying the sensations, wondering how much differently he will feel when she gets to her final goal. Hinata placed her hands on Naruto's head and pulled him harder into her. "Lick that little nub again ... Naruto ... kun!" Hinata couldn't help but think, even if barely, how natural this seemed to be for Naruto. He even seemed to be enjoying it, if the sounded he kept making were any clue. He kept moaning into her as he licked her. All of a sudden, he sucked her clit into his mouth and licked it harshly while it was caught, causing her to scream out in pleasure. Hinata leaned back and began to pinch her hardened nipples, twisting them slightly, trying to match her movements to Naruto's tongue working on her.

---------------------------------------------------

**"Ohhh.. my head."** Kyuubi shook his head to wake himself up when he noticed that his cage was very hot. Naruto, his host, was in a horribly heightened emotional state and feeling restless. Unsure of what was going on, Kyuubi tapped in to Naruto's senses and was immediately assaulted by everything Naruto was experiencing.

**"HOLY HELL!"** Kyuubi pulled out quickly, assimilating what he just found out. When he realized, he was very proud of his Kit. **"THAT'S MY BOY!"** But then he realized Naruto was bound and that was why he was restless. That just wouldn't do at all.

**"You better thank me for this, Kit. I don't have much to spare right now."**

----------------------------------------------------

Naruto was enjoying this greatly. The only downside was that he was stuck there, unable to do anything but what she allowed him, though that wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Almost as soon as he began licking her like she commanded, he found he enjoyed her taste emmensly. He could smell her and it drove him crazy and that taste made him want so much more of her. He still fought against the ropes, more out of unconscious desire that actually trying to break them. It was after he began to suck on the little nub that seemed to make her go crazy that he felt the Kyuubi's chakra flash through his body, increasing his strength. He pulled hard, knowing what that extra bit of help could do and heard the bed creak as the rope snapped. He shook his wrists to make the rope pieces fall and began a fresh assault on Hinata, planning to get more, and decided he wouldn't stop until she told him to.

-----------------------------------------------------

Hinata felt a surge of energy coming from Naruto as he made a jerking motion. It seemed to charge his tongue into a tingling extension that made her entire body shiver in pleasure. It coursed through her entire body ending at the tips of her fingers, toes and nipples. Almost as soon as Naruto jerked, she felt his hands on her sides as he flipped her onto her back on the bed, Naruto's face still held in place at this point by her legs still locked around his head. Hinata was moving back and forth slightly as Naruto pushed into her while licking and she pulled him to her in time with those movements with her legs, and Naruto looked up at her during this to noticed her breasts bouncing with the slight movement as she continued to pinch her nipples. Deciding he wanted to see what that would be like, he reached up, trailing his palms across her stomach, and began to caress them softly while she continued with her own nipples. Almost immediately, she grabbed his hands and pushed them down onto her, showing him he was being to gentle.

"Pinch them!" While Naruto began to pinch and twist her nipples slightly, she put her hands on his head as she got near her climax. Hinata began to offer Naruto a somewhat high-pitched moan in short gasps as she got closer. Nearly a minute later, she came with a loud scream.

"NARUTOOO!

Hinata squeezed her legs around Naruto's head, holding him there while he continued to lick fervently, lapping up all of her fluids. Once she released his head, he kissed his way up her stomach and sucked and licked her nipples just as he had her clit. Tasting her supple flesh under his tongue and appreciating her loving squirming. He kept moving his hands, caressing her skin wherever he could reach.

Hinata reached over Naruto and hugged him close as she kissed him on the mouth, idly noting her own taste on his lips. She straddled his waist and kissed his neck, then collarbone. After a few moments of kissing, and giving him the occasional bite on his shoulder and neck, she sat up and looked at him with her head cocked to the side just a little.

"Naruto-kun, I need you to hold very still. Don't move until I tell you to. This part can be very painful for a girl the first time."

Naruto's expression became a little panicked. "Hinata, I don't want to hurt you, whatever it is, we don't have to do it."

Hinata kissed him again, leaned back and smiled. "I need to, Naruto-kun. I will do this at some point in my life, and I want it to be here and now. Just don't move and I won't be in pain but for a few seconds I think, okay?" She silently thanked Naruto for caring more about her than his own pleasure.

Naruto just nodded and laid loosely on the bed, not sure what exactly she was talking about, though that only lasted a few seconds as she lifted her body up a little and grabbed him to position him beneath her. Naruto grabbed her by the waist and helped lift some of her weight so she didn't have to strain herself any more than needed. He remembered, though vaguely, the talk that Iruka had given him about this and that it would hurt. He also remembered something else.

"Hinata! Wait! What about .. er .. getting you ... pregnant?" Naruto lifted her up, holding almost all of her weight.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun. Just after we seperated after eating, I can't a protection jutsu for this. We learn it when we start going on missions. All girls do ... just in case its needed." With that, she began to lower herself, finally feeling him at her entrance. She lowered herself just a little and felt the head to Naruto's dick penetrate her, spreading her, the friction a welcome touch within her. She lowered herself even more. He was beginning to stretch her almost uncomfortably, but was still a completely pleasant sensation. Then he got to her maidenhead. She breathed deeply and lowered herself quickly, feeling the sharp pain as he broke through.

At Hinata's grimace of pain, Naruto reached up and brushed some of her hair back, unsure of what else to do. He was careful not to move anything that was touching her so he didn't hurt her any more, but he wanted to comfort her in some way. "Hinata?"

"Its okay, Naruto-kun. The pain is already almost gone. Just give me a moment longer please."

"As long as you need."

Once the pain was almost completely gone, Hinata began to move in small amounts to test how she would feel and found the pain not to grow, but a very pleasureable sensation growing instead. This wasn't as accute of a sensation as Naruto's tongue, but it also felt so good. It was like he was touching a part of her that needed to be touched by him. Like she was complete where before she had been empty.

"There's... no more pain ... Naruto-kun!" She paused long enough to give a loud moan. "You ... can move ... again!"

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He was too worried about her pain to really notice as she lowered herself onto him, but once she started moving again, he became all too aware of her heat engulfing him. She was so very tight and wet, and so hot around him. Every stroke let him feel her caress his entire dick. Naruto began to thrust into her, moaning and breathing as loud and hard as Hinata, he matched the rythem she set. In the back of his mind, he was aware of how much his body had to work to keep up with their pace.

As Naruto and Hinata increased their pace a little, Hinata placed her hands on Naruto's shoulders and leaned down to kiss him hard on the mouth. This caused the angle Naruto was entering her at to change a little, causing him to rub against her clit more directly, making her throw her head back and moan loudly. Naruto, seeing a chance available, grabbed her left nipple in his mouth and sucked it in, licking it quickly and lightly with the tip of his tongue, elliciting a sound from Hinata that was half purring and half growling.

"Harder! AH!"

Naruto sucked on her nipple harder and began thrusting into her harder as well, not totally sure which she meant, but decided both would work. She only moaned louder.

Naruto pulled out of Hinata and flipped them over so that she was on her back looking up at him with her hands instinctively placed on his shoulders for stability during the flip. He entered her again and began their previous pace with her legs wrapped around his waist. Naruto leaned down, not slowing down, and kissed her on the neck and down to her collar bone, giving a soft bite to her shoulder and sucking hard, gaining a gasp and definite growl from Hinata as she grabbed Naruto's shoulder blades and scratched his back, leaving red nail marks on his back, causing him to growl into her neck where he had begun to kiss and lick.

They began to go even faster, now both with their heads tilted back and moaning. Hinata began to play with her nipples again, twisted them and pulling on them, now a dark red from their original pale pink. Naruto could feel Hinata beginning to squeeze him as they thrust against each other even faster and harder. She was getting tighter around him as they continued, sweat covering their bodies. Naruto kissed Hinata on her lips hard and started going as fast as he dared, thrusting hard and quick, watching as she closed her eyes and opened her mouth in a silent scream.

"Na-Naruto... kun! I'm almost ... there! OH! Faster!" Naruto complied, going as fast as he could and still maintain his rythem. He was getting really close also, but wanted her to go over the edge first. He kept going, listening to her high-pitched panting and occasional throaty moan, relishing in her pleasure. It was when she began to say each syllable of his name with each thrust that he knew she was almost there.

"Na-ru-ru-ru-to! I'm - al - most - there! Na-ru-TOOOOO!" She leaned her head back and screamed the last syllable of his name and scratched his shoulders again with her nails, scraping his skin as he threw his head back and thrust deeply into her and released himself. Thrusting one more time with each time he came. Once he was spent, he held himself over her on his hands, only to be pulled down on top of her by Hinata's hands.

-

-

-

-

-

---------------------------------------------

Lemonover

---------------------------------------------

-

-

-

-

-

They kissed each other lightly as they allowed their bodies a little time to cool down.

"Naruto-kun, that was incredible." Hinata snuggled up against Naruto as she spoke, conforming her naked body against his just as they had gotten used to during their mission; Naruto pressed up against her back side with an arm draped over her, only this time, he kissed her lightly on her neck and shoulder.

Naruto chuckled lowly while pulling her tighter against him in a small hug. "You did most of the work. But you do realize that you are likely to get in a lot of trouble for ... wanting me, right? Your whole clan may -"

"Naruto-kun, I have made my choice. I want to be with you. It has always been you for me."

"And you really don't care about ... Fuzzy?" Even though she had just proven to him she didn't, she could tell he still wasn't sure he should believe it.

"That was why I intended to do it this way, rather than just tell you. I wanted to prove to you, without any doubt, that I am yours."

Naruto was quiet for a few moments, hugging her even more tightly to him during that time, before he spoke again. "How did you find out?"

It was Hinata's turn to be quiet before she spoke again. "I think I should start at the beginning..."

"Alright."

"Remember that day, before our mission, that I kissed you?"

"Yes."

"Well, Ino had developed a new jutsu. It took away my natural fear that you would reject me. It made me willing to let you know how I felt. I was so happy to be able to do that, but I was still a little shy and such without you around. The jutsu was only meant to work in your presense, but after a little while, so long as I thought about you, I could still have that same confidence. Anyway, when we got to the village, I found that a side-affect of the jutsu was that it let me enter another's dreams. In this case, it was yours. What I saw, was a scene from your past. How the villagers had chased you and caught you in the woods. I wasn't able to help you, if I tried to actually enter too far, then I would get so cold it felt like I was freezing. Anyway, Fuzzy came out and killed them to save you. He carried you on his tails to a cave and let me come with you. At the time, he described himself as your 'inner fighting spirit'." He could feel Hinata chuckle at that. He was terrified of what she was telling him, but she didn't seem to be scared, so he calmed a little.

"Anyway, the dream ... changed. We were in an apartment where we lived together. We had sex in the bathroom and showered together, then you had to rush out because you were late for something, I don't remember what. Anyway, I was controlled by your dream while you were 'awake' and in the same room as me, not that I minded, but Kyuubi was like a little pet that we had that was obsessed with bacon." Naruto snorted and then shook with silent laughter at the mental image in his head as she continued. "Anyway, after that I woke up and everything continued as you know it." Here she paused.

"When Kokoro hit you with his jutsu, Fuzzy took over and told me what was going on. That he had to go back or you would die, so he used me, going into your dreams again, to help out. He couldn't touch the seal, but I could as I wasn't what it was designed to keep locked up. You were in so much pain..." The last was whispered so quietly that Naruto barely heard it. He just hugged her to him again, letting her know silently that everything would be fine.

"When it was over, I woke up and put you in the bed, then went to sleep next to you, just like we are now. Then you know everything from there. But I decided on this course of action, because I wanted you to know that I wanted this. That I really don't care what anyone else thinks. I made a bet with my father. I would fight anyone in the Hyuuga for the opportunity to marry whomever I choose and when I choose to. They had me fight my sister because I had never defeated her. I won, and now it is completely up to me. And I choose you." At this point, she turned in his arms to look at Naruto.

"Do you want me, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto leaned forward and kissed her softly, gently, on the mouth and carassed her cheek with his thumb. "I would be a fool to not want you, Hinata-chan."

Elated, Hinata hugged Naruto around his neck, unwittingly putting his face directly in the center of her chest.

"There is one last thing, Naruto-kun."

"Mm? What is that?"

"Well, there is another side-effect of Ino's jutsu. I have to go to her tomorrow to have the jutsu removed. If I have it done for too long, then it could make me lose my mind. Fuzzy told me about how the jutsu would affect me if I was exposed for it for too long. So, after I get it done, I may not be as confident around you anymore. Since I only got it after the jutsu, it will probably go away once the jutsu is over."

Naruto shook his head and gave her a hug before he spoke again. "No, the jutsu can't give you confidence. You said it just took away your fears. Now that they are gone, you know what it feels like. You know that you can be like this if you want to. If you go back to the way you were, though, I will still be here. I couldn't abandon you after everything. You would still be the same person, just shy." Naruto flashed his usual foxy grin at her. "Maybe next time, I can tie YOU up!" She smacked him on the shoulder as she giggled.

"Naruto-kun, I think that's funny right now, but if you do it if I go back to normal, then you would probably scare me." Naruto's expression fell almost immediately. Now looking properly contrite, he apologized.

"Eh, sorry. I'll be good if you go back to the way you were. And if you don't, expect to be caught at some point." He gave another foxy grin after recieving a strong smack.

"That works. Just remember that 'no' means 'no', just in case I won't be comfortable with it."

"Of course. I couldn't make my friends do something they didn't want to do. At least nothing serious like that."

"Good boy." To prove her point she kissed him again, only this time, feeling him press up against her as she moved closer again. She pulled back slightly with a coy smile on her lips. "When did that," She pressed against him again, "happen?"

"When you pulled me into a hug after we finished the last time."

Hinata shook her head and kissed him again. "I love your stamina."

---------------------------------------------------------

Ino and Sakura were both worse for wear. After Naruto and Hinata had finished the last time, they both realized that they had been unknowingly touching themselves as they watched, only to realize it at the same time and nearly scream out. Only the fear of what Hinata would do to them kept them from actually doing it. As Naruto and Hinata began their activities again, Ino motioned for Sakura to follow her away from there. She really didn't want a repeat of what had just happened. At least not with someone who would catch her.

Once they were back at Ino's, Ino fell onto her bed as Sakura slumped into a beanbag chair in the corner.

"That was intense." Ino didn't look away from her ceiling while she spoke, still going over the images in her head.

"I know. I never would have thought of that. It seems so obvious now, but I really didn't think she would do something like that. Ever."

"Really. And who would have thought that Naruto would have looked like THAT underneath those orange clothes? Sakura, I would feel really sad that I had given him up back then."

Sakura was about to agree before she remembered what Naruto had said about her. "I never gave him up, don't you remember? He never expected me to like him, that was why he picked me."

"Oh, that's right. I wonder what that secret of his was."

"I don't know. Maybe we can ask the Hokage. He kept talking about the 'whole village' knowing."

"Sounds like a plan." Ino was quiet a moment longer before she spoke again. "So, we're agreed to never talk about what we caught each other doing, right?"

Sakura blushed fiercly as she answered quickly. "Agreed. But we get to talk about what we saw those two do any time."

"Agreed. What do you think they talked about right after they actually had sex? They seemed to talk for a few minutes before starting back up again."

"I would normally say it was recover time, but with Naruto's stamina, and the way he still looked hard even right after, I would say it wasn't likely. So I don't know. She is going to meet tomorrow, so I would say we talk with her then. I'll see if I can stay the night and we can corner her about it! We can also ask all sorts of embarrassing questions and see what she'll tell us." Sakura grinned with the plot set for her evil plan.

"Agreed. Let's go. But we can't let her know we watched." Ino shuddered. She really didn't want to risk an angry Hinata.

------------------------------------------------------

Hinata kissed Naruto for the last time that night. She knew she couldn't stay out the whole night after what she did earlier. Her father, and probably the Elders as well, were going to have questions, and she had walked out instead of answering them. That most certainly wasn't good form in the Hyuuga.

"Good night, Naruto-kun. I have to go home or I may get into trouble. They won't be able to stop me from marrying who I choose, but I am sure that my family would frown upon our recent activities." She smiled coyly at him and slid out of bed, affording him a very pleasant view of her bum as she dressed."

"You won't get in trouble, will you?"

"No. They may not like it if they find out, but they will press the concept of marriage on us, and I think it would be best to wait for a little while until we get comfortable with what we now seem to have before thinking about marriage." She raised one thin eyebrow at him and sat back down on the bed after she was finished dressing.

"Naruto, I am going to go to Ino first thing in the morning. At least, as early as I can. When I am done there, I may be the shy and nervous Hinata again. You will have to persue me if that happens, I think. I don't know how likely it would be that I would have the courage to come to you. Do you understand what I'm asking?"

Naruto nodded, with the same look of determination he always had during battles where his ability was put into question. "I do."

"Good, then take me on a date tomorrow night." Hinata smiled at him and walked out of the room without a backwards glance.

Naruto laid back and thought about his life. His life before their mission, and his life as it seemed to be now. No one had ever told him that they loved him. Not like how Hinata just had. Iruka had said it once, after he was almost killed and in the hospitol. He had thought Naruto was sleeping when he made his tear-filled confession, but he heard him. And Tsunade had said so in no uncertain terms. Endearments actually, and he loved every single one of them. But they were all basically a surrogate family. Iruka like his father, Tsunade his big sister. Jiraiya was even the perverted old uncle.

No, Hinata was different. She wanted something ... more. She didn't want to just be a part of his family, she wanted to head it with him. Naruto smiled as he thought of how his feelings for her had progressed during their rather short mission. He had always thought she was a little weird the way she would hang back behind everyone and pass out everytime they got really close or touched. He understood, now, that it was because she was so shy and nervous, but it was still a little odd. But then, in only thirteen days, he had come to actually spend time with her, and began to realize she was an incredible person. He would even admit that he had developed a bit of a crush on her in that time. Things escalated quite a bit tonight, but he had to admit, he was glad it had. She was wonderful. He was a little spooked at the concept of marriage this fast, and really hoped he could stave that off for a bit, but it wasn't a horrible idea, to finally be a part of a family. To have her by his side. He'd just like a little more time to get things settled and learn a bit more about each other, but he knew that if her family forced it, he would marry her if for no other reason than to let her keep what honor she could marrying the Kyuubi's container.

Deciding he would follow her lead and do whatever he had to to protect her from people that may try to hurt her because of him, he rolled over and went to sleep, then decided on a shower and then sleep.

----------------------------------------------

Hinata made it to her room without any opposition. Deciding to take a shower and then bed, she quickly grabbed some pajamas and stepped into the shower attached to her room. She was one of the very few who had such a room due to her previous status as heir to the Hyuuga line. Hinata got the water to the desired heat and disrobed. She stepped into the water and let it cascade down her body. She began to wash herself, paying very careful attention to the areas Naruto had taken care of for her. She smiled as she replayed everything in her mind. She was defintely going to have to have a repeat performance. After she recovered from this last one. After the first time, they talked, and then he took her over the edge twice more just as he had the first time and then took his time caressing her. She couldn't get over how gentle he was until she told him to be more aggressive. She liked him being gentle, but once it got further, she wanted to just feel him everywhere.

Once done, she got out of the shower and towelled off. Looking into the mirror, she noticed Naruto's handiwork over her shoulder and just above her breasts at her collarbone. He had left several bite marks and a few mouth-shaped bruises as well. She thanked all the gods in existence that he hadn't left any on her neck, though there was one spot that was slightly red, thankfully nothing that a very low-level healing jutsu couldn't fix. She would leave the rest as momento's. Scars from a battle she was very proud to say she won. Smiling, she dressed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, content with her life at that point.

------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Hinata, with a pleasant dull ache between her legs, was on her way out of the house with the Enura jutsu scrolls when she was stopped by Neji.

"Hiashi-sama would like to speak with you, Hinata."

Hinata nodded and walked quickly to her father's meeting room, guided by Neji. Once at the door, Neji bowed and left her there to her fate. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her and taking her seat in front of him.

Deciding to get straight to the point, Hiashi began as soon as Hinata was seated. "Hinata, I am proud of you. You showed great strength yesterday. I am also very happy that you will be able to marry whoever you choose, which I assume you have already chosen the man?" He silently noted a twitch of her lips trying to stretch into a smile. "However, the Elders would like to to know what exactly happened yesterday. I must say, I am also curious as to exactly what happened. I don't suppose you could enlighten me, so that I may have something to tell them? I would prefer if you told me everything."

"I decided that I wanted to, eventually, marry Uzumaki Naruto. Yesterday was laying the foundation to do just that once ready."

"Hinata, I am afraid I can't tell you why, but you can not marry him. The Elders would not allow it." Hinata was able to detect only a slight hint of urgency and despair in his voice. He actually seemed sad that he was telling her that she couldn't have the man she wanted. But knowing her father's position in the village, and that he was old enough, she assumed he would know Naruto's secret.

"You mean Fuzzy?" The rise in his eyebrows confirmed that theory.

"You ... you know? How?"

"I know, yes, and anyone who watches him and spends enough time around him would know."

"And you don't ... care about it?"

"Of course not, Father. He could release Fuzzy at any time simply by wanting to. But instead, he keeps this entire village protected from Fuzzy and strives to earn the respect of the village as a whole."

"Why do you keep calling it 'Fuzzy'?"

Hinata shrugged her shoulders. "That is what Naruto calls him, and when I spoke with him, I called him Fuzzy. He said he wouldn't eat me for calling him such a name if he could call me 'Kitten'."

Hiashi was shocked to say the least. His daughter knew the village's most guarded secret, didn't hate the boy for it, and has even spoke with the demon inside and made an agreement to call him 'Fuzzy'.

"You spoke with it?"

"Yes. On our last mission, he sacrificed his freedom so that Naruto would live. In so doing, he also saved the rest of us as well. I had spoken with him during the mission."

"I ... see." He didn't actually. "So, what was yesterday? You told Hanabi that you always failed your matches on purpose."

"I did. I could never bring myself to really hurt her. It was like I was trying to destroy what was left of Mother."

Hiashi was quiet several moments while he thought. "I see. Very well, I have enough. I will tell the Elders what they need to know, without some of the other."

"If they argue about my wedding Naruto in the future, there are a few arguements we can use. One, he has massive chakra reserves and is very fast and strong. His stamina and chakra reserves are easily Kage level. Any descendants would inherit at least some of those physical attributes. Though I would hate for this to be forced into the conversation, there could be an arguement of having Fuzzy in our lineage." She paused a moment, looking thoughtful. "Also, I would kill anyone who tries to keep me from him." She didn't even bat an eyelash with that final comment, and that scared the hell out of Hiashi.

"Very well. One last question, what is that large scroll you are carrying?"

"The Enura clan, a clan very similar to the Yamanaka, will be ending. They were our previous employers for my last mission. Lord Enura gave me his entire clan jutsu library to give to the Yamanaka clan. I was on my way to see Ino when Neji stopped me."

That a clan would give up their entire jutsu library was astounding. That scroll was probably priceless, and doubly so for the Yamanaka clan who could probably use most, if not all, of it. "Very well then. You're free to go." He just couldn't think of anything else to say. There was far too much to think about.

Hinata rose and left without another word, leaving Hiashi to think before he faced the Elders. He knew the Uzumaki boy was a good kid, and would treat Hinata well, but getting the Elders to be okay with it would be exhausting.

"Perhaps its time I enforced my authority over my clan. She deserves this."

--------------------------------------------------

Author's Note Quick explanation of how the plot changed!

Originally, the fight between Hinata and Hanabi was going to be between Hinata, Hanabi and Neji (if not Hiashi instead as Hinata would have been considered 'valuable' as a political marriage contract.)

Sakura and Ino weren't going to see the whole thing. Hinata wouldn't have explained her actions and Naruto would have stayed quiet and in his room the whole day until Sakura brought Hinata over, since they had probably bonded during their mission, and see if she could talk to him. She did, and Sakura wouldn't have understood what Hinata was going on about in regards to "I did it because I do love you and now you can't mistake that." She would have questioned her at Ino's while giving her the scrolls, and Hinata would have just simply said, "Oh, I raped him last night." Shocker, eh? But I didn't want to go that dark. I had been debating it since it was going to be actual rape in the story that spawned this one (see chapter 1,) or this. I chose this since I agree with Allicat. Sex shouldn't be rape, ever. Also, I didn't want her to be BAD... just... frisky? Naughty? Anyway, the rape was the "dark" point I had been talking about and I decided I didn't really want to write a true rape scene. I just didn't feel comfortable with it. (cheesy grin)

As to why the fight scene in the last chapter was so short (I had 1 person comment on it) it was because I didn't want Hinata bruised and hurt before she went over there. Which is also why I made it so easy.

I plan to put in Lee/Sakura's date (No naughties, sorry. The story isn't about them,) in the next chapter and finish the story up. It'll probably be a week or two though. I just got swamped with overtime at work. It just depends on if I have enough time to write when I get home without having anything else to do. Expect about a week and a half or so.

Paladeus

---------------------------------------------

Lemonover

---------------------------------------------


	9. New Paths Chosen

[Author's Notes I have to say, I was rather surprised by the number of private messages asking for more lemons. There were a rather disturbing number that said nothing but "Hehehe" or "Giggles" or something else of that nature. I got more PM's than I did reviews (coughs. 43, coughs). I only got 36 (at this point) reviews. Though I thought the lemon wasn't very good, thanks for the positive remarks about it. I hope that met everyone's expectations in the relationship aspect, even if not what you expected plot-wise. I agree with Hinata's actions being a little rushed, but I decided to use the jutsu and Hinata's subconscious desires as the reason for it (that, and the story that spawned this creation was the whole point of that event. I just didn't want to write it without rhyme or reason.) Explanations for why this is so late at the end, since it mentions a part of the story.

Paladeus

------------------------------------------------

PREVIOUSLY

------------------------------------------------

_The next morning, Hinata, with a pleasant dull ache between her legs, was on her way out of the house with the Enura jutsu scrolls when she was stopped by Neji._

_"Hiashi-sama would like to speak with you, Hinata."_

_Hinata nodded and walked quickly to her father's meeting room, guided by Neji. Once at the door, Neji bowed and left her there to her fate. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her and taking her seat in front of him._

_Deciding to get straight to the point, Hiashi began as soon as Hinata was seated. "Hinata, I am proud of you. You showed great strength yesterday. I am also very happy that you will be able to marry whoever you choose, which I assume you have already chosen the man?" He silently noted a twitch of her lips trying to stretch into a smile. "However, the Elders would like to to know what exactly happened yesterday. I must say, I am also curious as to exactly what happened. I don't suppose you could enlighten me, so that I may have something to tell them? I would prefer if you told me everything."_

_"I decided that I wanted to, eventually, marry Uzumaki Naruto. Yesterday was laying the foundation to do just that once ready." That rather blunt statement was really not what he was expecting._

_"Hinata, I am afraid I can't tell you why, but you can not marry him. The Elders would not allow it." Hinata was able to detect only a slight hint of urgency and despair in his voice. He actually seemed sad that he was telling her that she couldn't have the man she wanted. But knowing her father's position in the village, and that he was old enough, she assumed he would know Naruto's secret._

_"You mean Fuzzy?" The rise in his eyebrows confirmed that theory._

_"You ... you know? How?"_

_"I know, yes, and anyone who watches him and spends enough time around him would know."_

_"And you don't ... care about it?"_

_"Of course not, Father. He could release Fuzzy at any time simply by wanting to. But instead, he keeps this entire village protected from Fuzzy and strives to earn the respect of the village as a whole."_

_"Why do you keep calling it 'Fuzzy'?"_

_Hinata shrugged her shoulders. "That is what Naruto calls him, and when I spoke with him, I called him Fuzzy. He said he wouldn't eat me for calling him such a name if he could call me 'Kitten'."_

_Hiashi was shocked to say the least. His daughter knew the village's most guarded secret, didn't hate the boy for it, and has even spoke with the demon inside and made an agreement to call him 'Fuzzy' of all things._

_"You spoke with it?"_

_"Yes. On our last mission, he sacrificed his freedom so that Naruto would live. In so doing, he also saved the rest of us as well. I had spoken with him during the mission."_

_"I ... see." He didn't actually. "So, what was yesterday? You told Hanabi that you always failed your matches on purpose."_

_"I did. I could never bring myself to really hurt her. It was like I was trying to destroy what was left of Mother."_

_Hiashi was quiet several moments while he thought. "I see. Very well, I have enough. I will tell the Elders what they need to know, without some of the other."_

_"If they argue about my wedding Naruto in the future, there are a few arguements we can use. One, he has massive chakra reserves and is very fast and strong. His stamina and chakra reserves are easily Kage level. Any descendants would inherit at least some of those physical attributes. Though I would hate for this to be forced into the conversation, there could be an arguement of having Fuzzy in our lineage." She paused a moment, looking thoughtful. "Also, I would kill anyone who tries to keep me from him." She didn't even bat an eyelash with that final comment, and that scared the hell out of Hiashi._

_"Very well. One last question, what is that large scroll you are carrying?"_

_"The Enura clan, a clan very similar to the Yamanaka, will be ending. They were our previous employers for my last mission. Lord Enura gave me his entire clan jutsu library to give to the Yamanaka clan. I was on my way to see Ino when Neji stopped me."_

_That a clan would give up their entire jutsu library was astounding. That scroll was probably priceless, and doubly so for the Yamanaka clan who could probably use most, if not all, of it. "Very well then. You're free to go." He just couldn't think of anything else to say. There was far too much to think about._

_Hinata rose and left without another word, leaving Hiashi to think before he faced the Elders. He knew the Uzumaki boy was a good kid, and would treat Hinata well, but getting the Elders to be okay with it would be exhausting._

_"Perhaps its time I enforced my authority over my clan. She deserves this."_

--------------------------------------------------

On with the story!

--------------------------------------------------

Sakura and Ino had awakened early, normal for a ninja, and discussed the previous night again, and what they wanted to ask Hinata. Try as they might, it was more the conversation Hinata and Naruto held that actually held more of their attention than the act itself, primarily because neither wanted to relive the fact that they enjoyed it.

"I don't understand. Why would he say that he showed such a strong crush on you because you were 'safe'? Why would you be safe and why would Hinata not be if they were together?" Ino was at a loss. She could almost feel something in the back of her mind about the whole situation, but she just couldn't grasp it. Sakura wasn't fairing much better.

"I don't know. I mean, I know that a lot of people don't like him, but its like everyone who actually meets him, like Tsunade, Jiraiya, clients, hell, even kids during our missions love him, especially the kids. They see a kindred spirit." Sakura's frustration was visible as she sat in a huff on the counter. She could understand people liking Naruto, she even liked him, though he was certainly no Sasuke, but to realize that he'd tried so hard, and never even suspected that she might, even the slightest possible chance, actually agree to go out on a date with him. Was she really so shallow that he always expected to be shot down like that? And she had always been so cruel about it. Why would he want that than to actually try to be with someone he could be happy with, or even at least have a chance to.

"A lot of the adults don't like him, and haven't for as long as I can remember," Ino said. "Its gotten better, but you can still see the way some of them look at him." Sakura knew that Ino was right. She had always noticed it, but realized her own mother looked at him that way, and assumed they found him just as annoying as she did. But she knew that wasn't the case.

Ino and Sakura were still discussing Naruto when Hinata stepped through the door, the little bell jingling her arrival. Immediately, they pounced and dragged her upstairs to Ino's room. Not a word was spoken, though Hinata did manage a squeek in the beginning, until the door was shut, and then Ino and Sakura pushed Hinata onto the bed and began their questioning.

"So, Hinata, what did you do to 'show' Naruto how you felt and how did he take it? Are you two together now?" Sakura asked the questions since Hinata had already explained that she would be doing something to her. Ino stood by the side to look for any sign of nervousness, ready to pounce if needed to get the answers out of her. Being forced to answer in a rush usually meant the speaker didn't have enough time to make up a good story, after all.

Hinata looked at Sakura and Ino as if she were surprised by their questions. "Of course I showed him. I went to his house, tied him up and had sex with him." She waved her hand dismissively. "At first he was against it, but that changed after we talked a bit and I believe we expect to be together. I've already made an arrangement within the Hyuuga to marry whomever I choose, and it will end up being Naruto."

Ino and Sakura simply looked at Hinata, not believing that she had actually just told them what had really happened, and acted like it was nothing. She held no reservations in telling them, which was nothing like Hinata from only two weeks ago. That thought made Ino come back to reality.

"Um, Hinata, not that I'm not happy for you, but why are you so different when not around Naruto? You didn't use to be like this at all." She waited as Hinata turned towards her.

"Well, that is one of the things I needed to come over here for today. First, these are the Enura clan's mind-based jutsus. They were given to the Yamanaka clan as they expect their line to end and didn't want the jutsus to fall into the wrong hands. It was their entire library." Hinata handed the large scroll to a shocked Ino. She knew what such a thing would be worth and had a good idea of how much would be in a scroll that size. Ino took the scroll from Hinata and set it down, deciding that it wouldn't go anywhere, but Hinata still had some juicy information to dish out.

"Okay, thanks Hinata. Now, what was the other thing you were talking about, where you are acting like this without Naruto around?"

"Your jutsu worked quite well. The same night you did it, I had met with Naruto and kissed him. Scared him too, but he got over it. Anyway, it has several side-effects." Hinata's blunt declaration was met with two surprised female ninja.

"Like what?" Ino was hoping there weren't any bad ones. She really didn't want there to be. She had used the jutsu on Shikamaru about a week before she did on Hinata and hadn't taken it off of him yet.

"Well, at first, it worked properly. I would be confident around Naruto. But then it would still work if I was at least thinking about him or was doing something for him."

"That doesn't sound so bad so far." Ino was getting relieved. It wasn't too bad yet. But then, she should have known better.

"The bad parts are next." Hinata watched as Ino's face paled and Sakura's eyes widened. Sakura hadn't noticed anything bad yet. Unless you count apparently attempting to rape Naruto, but he seemed to get over that quickly enough. "The unexpected side-effects were that it gave me some interesting abilities. I was able to enter Naruto's dreams at night. I was able to confirm this without him knowing about it so I wouldn't have to explain how it happened, or why."

Ino was thrilled. Her jutsu allowed Hinata to develop her own mental abilities! "That's great! We could use this on all of the ninja in Konoha and we..." She drifted off watching Hinata shake her head.

"No. It gave me those abilites by changing my mind. I'm not supposed to be able to do these things and it is risking damage to my mind. I learned this from my understanding of the Enura clan's jutsus and what we learned about Kokoro's use of jutsus on his victims." Hinata gave a look to Sakura, who looked to be about to say something, to tell her to shut up and was thankfully observed. "Enura Kokoro was using a jutsu to control his victims and it made changes in the mind much like yours. So I'd like for you to undo the jutsu."

Ino numbly shook her head and motioned for Hinata to sit still and began flashing through her hand seals, entering Hinata's mind like before. When she entered, she saw the same order she had seen before, though the floating spheres gave off a slight pale blue glow that was nearly white and energy seemed to crackle in between them. She assumed it was part of the change Hinata had mentioned. Ino looked around, searching for the memory sphere where she put her alterations. It only took her a few minutes to find it, right next to the memory sphere of her first memory about Naruto. She saw Hinata standing around, looking at different memories, stuck fascinated with a single one. Deciding to see what Hinata was remembering, which was what she was truly seeing, before changing her back, Ino walked over to Hinata and looked at the memory that had Hinata engrossed herself in, only to see a slightly different version of what she and Sakura had witnessed the night before. This one actually had similar sensations coming out of it, letting her feel the same things that Hinata experienced that night. Had she not worried about Hinata catching her, she would have allowed herself to stay there just the same as her. About the time that Memory-Hinata began to lower herself to a tied-up Naruto's face, Ino decided to jump ahead.

"OKAY! Let's get that jutsu turned off!" Ino turned and ran away quickly, but not before getting an instant of the memory's sensation wave before she was too far away.

_"I am most DEFINITELY going to have to have a talk with Shikamaru!"_ Ino stopped at the altered sphere again and quickly began working, damning her curiousity the whole time. She began to disassemble her jutsu, much like unweaving a knitted garment, slowly to make sure it didn't collapse. It had taken her only a few minutes to unravel the whole thing, but she was fatigued. She would definitely have to show this to her father and get his input on it.

Ino turned back to Hinata, who was still watching her memory sphere with a goofy grin on her face. She shook her head and smiled, thinking she'd stay with that memory also if she were Hinata. Ino turned around and flashed through the seals needed to leave Hinata's mind. She came out of it, still seated in front of Hinata who still had her eyes closed. Only a few seconds later, Hinata opened her eyes and looked around the room.

"How do you feel, Hinata?" Sakura was curious as to Hinata's reaction after the jutsu was over, wondering if she would stay the same, change or what.

"I feel alright, why do you ask?" Hinata look to both Ino and Sakura, wondering why they were looking at her so intently.

"I just ended the jutsu I put on you last month. Do you feel any different?" Ino had no idea what to expect. Shikamaru hadn't made any noticeable changes in his personality during the jutsu when she tried it on him. At least nothing that wasn't supposed to happen.

"I feel fine. I'm a little nervous, which I wasn't before we started, but not too much different."

**"Well, you certainly shouldn't feel overly different. Nothing really changed!"**

"Well, that's good. Maybe the effects of the jutsu would stick, at least a little, since it was active for so long." Sakura only knew as much as Ino had ever told her, but she knew that something like that could be done via conditioning. It was occasionally done to prisoners of war or some criminals.

Hinata was still trying to figure out which of the two girls with her had said nothing changed. It didn't sound like either of them. She was still trying to figure it out when Ino's voice cut into her thoughts.

"So, Hinata. You really had sex with Naruto?" Ino was incredibly pleased with herself as she watched Hinata's eyes widen slowly and her face go from her usual pale complexion to an incredible dark red.

"I- we- us- he- s-sex- us-"

**"Come on, Girl! Remember what you've done! You slept with him nightly for two weeks! You kissed him, had sex with him, and beat your sister so you could marry him! What is a little conversation next to that?"** Hinata shook her head and blinked, trying to figure out where the voice came from again while the two girls giggled. Only then did she realize that she couldn't hear the voice while they were both giggling. She was about to ask what was going on when she heard the voice again.

**"I'm in your head, Silly! I can explain in a few minutes, but don't get nervous! You're too strong and beautiful to get nervous and embarrassed like that! And remember, you have a few things to do today before Naruto tries to get you on that date! So get out of here so you can get ready!"** Hinata could almost swear she heard idle purring somewhere in the back of her mind. However, the voice did have a point, she did have a few things to do and she wanted to make sure she was ready for when Naruto found her tonight for that date.

"Yes, Hinata, we know. You and Naruto had sex, you told us that a few minutes ago. So how was he?" Sakura couldn't wait to get the details. Hinata definitely seemed to like it while it was happening.

"Um.. he..."

**"Do you really want them to know how your Naruto-kun is in bed?"** The voice had a point.

"He..." Ino knew exactly how great he was, she had only the briefest of exposure to it, but she had never felt that in her life, and that was just the first instant of it. It was definitely time to have a talk with Shikamaru. Ino missed Hinata's shoulders square off just the slightest bit.

"I would rather not talk about it right now. I have a lot I need to do before tonight." Hinata cringed mentally as she realized Ino and Sakura caught her slip.

"What happens tonight? Another amorous rendevous?" Ino was really hoping she might get another chance to peek in on another great show while Sakura realized she had to meet up with Lee and make him choose a number.

"No, at least, I don't think so. I told him about the jutsu last night before I left and what might happen today. He said he would still be here and wait for me if I didn't feel comfortable with doing that. I told him to invite me on a date tonight." She mentally cringed as Ino and Sakura each gave off high-pitched squeels of delight.

"That's so sweet!"

"Where are you going on your date?"

"We haven't decided. I was letting him choose everything for tonight." Hinata got up and began to walk towards the door. "I'll talk to you later, I've got to go and get ready and do some other errands." Ino snorted and responded before she caught herself.

"You mean like pick up more rope?" As soon as she had finished, she paled drastically as Hinata stopped, hand still halfway to the doorknob. Hinata turned towards the two scared-looking girls in the room, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What do you mean?"

**"They were spying on you yesterday! Find out everything!"**

"Umm..." Ino and Sakura looked at each other and then back to Hinata. "Well, we were curious about how you were going to show Naruto how you felt..." Ino was getting very nervous now.

**"You know what they said about curiousity and the cat..."** Hinata got the distinct visual image of KyuuHina standing in front of her, drawing her thumb across her throat in a gesture known universally as killing.

"And, well, we followed you so we could find out..." Sakura was beginning to fear Hinata's response. She looked pissed off.

"And exactly what DID you find out?" The voice was beginning to sound very reasonable.

"Well," Both girls looked at each other, "we saw everything." They finished together.

**"They spied on you and Naruto! They watched as you two made love! That's unforgiveable!"** Hinata listened to the voice yet again. They were the same thoughts she, herself, had. Only, the voice said them with the anger and resentment she really felt. The next thing Ino and Sakura knew, they were pinned against the wall with a kunai to their throats and a very pissed off Hinata between them, her Byukugan active.

"You WATCHED as Naruto and I had sex?" Hinata's voice came out low and deadly. With her Byakugan active, she was able to watch the drip of blood run down each kunai from the throats of the girls in front of her. She had cut just enough to allow a drip down from the puncture wounds. Hinata could see their fear as they pressed themselves against the wall, trying to pull away from the blades in front of them.

"Hi-Hinata..." Ino's cracked voice brought Hinata back from her homicidal side. She was still very angry. They had, afterall, watched her and her Naruto. Hinata pulled the kunai back from their throats and glared at both in turn.

"You can expect Naruto and I to make sure you get paid back for that. You had no right to watch us."

"**That a girl! Let them know they can't get away with that again! Mark them so they know you're the Alpha Female!**"

Hinata ignored the voice for the moment, wanting to get out of there before she decided to follow it's advice and do something drastic. She really did want to hurt them for watching her and Naruto. They saw her Naruto-kun and that was unforgiveable.

"We're sorry! Its just that we were curious about what you were going to do since you're normally so shy, and then, when you started, we were so shocked, you see! We couldn't turn away!" Hinata didn't want to be around them anymore. The voice was still telling her to mark them so they knew who was stronger, and sounding far too enthusiastic and beginning to make far too much sense.

**"At least tell them that you'll deal with them later, and be sure to speak with a confident and firm voice! That will make them think twice about it again! Who knows, maybe they want to take him from us now!"** That sounded reasonable to Hinata. She wouldn't let anyone take him back from her.

"I will deal with you two later. For now, I've got to get ready." She took the voice's advice and gave one last glare at the two shaking girls in front of her and left the room, a little more quickly than someone who was totally calm.

When Hinata left the Yamanaka flower shop, she headed towards her home, trying not to speak to anyone or get side-tracked. She hadn't taken but only a few steps before she realized she didn't want to go home to think about everything. If she went home, her father could ask questions that she didn't want to answer.

**"Go to your training spot, or Naruto's. They're both secluded and quiet."** Yet another good idea from the voice left Hinata following it's advice. She decided that she would go to Naruto's favourite training spot, since it was a little further out from town and rather peaceful. Pumping chakra into her legs, she ran quickly out of the Konoha gates and into the forest, towards a bubbling stream Naruto used to practice his water-walking. Six minutes of fast-paced running through the branches found Hinata at her destination. She hopped up into the trees and sat with her back against the trunk, her legs dangling from the sides of the large branch.

"Okay, I don't suppose you could tell me what's going on?" Hinata was feeling confused by the voice in her head above all else. She was still upset at Sakura and Ino for watching her and Naruto, and just a little sore from the night before, but mostly had no real clue as to why she was suddenly hearing voices. She was worried that it was a result of waiting too long to undo the jutsu.

**"Well, let me start from the beginning, and then you can ask your questions. Alright?"**

"Okay." Hinata really didn't see much of a choice in all truth.

**"Well, Ino performed her new jutsu on you and it took away several of your inhibitions, as she described it. In truth, it actually bottled them up, so to speak, in a fake memory. Basically, she took several of your fears, dreams, ambitions and other things and tied them up so that you could do whatever you wanted for a specified reason or target. In this case, that was Naruto. Now, all of those things being bound into a fake memory for so long caused your mind to have to compensate for the lost things. Since they weren't where they were supposed to be, your mind had to work around them. That is what caused you to be able to visit his dreams. The mind operates differently while asleep and that sped the process up in that method. With me so far?"**

"So, Ino took all of the things that kept me from talking to Naruto as I wanted to, and the things I wanted to do with him, and put them all in a fake memory, and that made my mind work differently because those things weren't where they belonged?"

**"Correct. Ino made that fake memory so that your desires were still coming out strong, which is why you acted on them so strongly, and your fears about it completely bound so that they didn't interfere. Well, things continued like that while you were under the effects of her jutsu and when it came time to change Kyuubi and Naruto back, that was when I was created."**

"What do you mean?" Hinata was shocked. She had someone else in her mind now? "Meep," she squeaked.

**"I'm getting there, just a moment."** The voice spoke soothingly with a light feminine chuckle. **"Now, Kyuubi had to use you as a bridge to affect the seal so that he could switch himself and Naruto back to save themselves and the town, but doing so, all of that raw chakra went through your entire being, including the fake memory. Now, normally, that wouldn't do anything, but because it was a fake memory, and because of how it was created, it had many different parts of you in it. Basically, how you acted while under the influence of the jutsu was that fake memory and-"**

"So I only acted that way because of the jutsu, then." Hinata spoke with a near-defeated tone. She knew she could never act with so much confidence and pride on her own.

**"No, actually, that was all you. It was just that the jutsu had your fears of rejection from Naruto held back. You were the girl that did all of those things, and could be that way as much as you wanted. The only real thing that was bound was your fear of rejection from Naruto. And you already have that, so that fear doesn't really have a foundation to support itself on now, because you already have him."** Hinata perked up almost immediately. She COULD be that person! She WAS that person!

**"Anyway, while you were under the jutsu, and all of those emotions and such were bottled up, the chakra flowed through the memory. It wound up creating something ... different. That new thing was made up of the fake memory, along with several of your other ones that were near it, and Kyuubi's chakra infused with it. Several of his own emotions, thoughts, knowledge, desires, dreams and quite a bit of his power formed into me. I am female, because you are, and his animalistic and destructive side are both tempered by your naturally gentle nature. Basically, I am you, but with my own desires and thoughts and such. So I am, in fact, my own 'person', though I wouldn't use that term for me. I am, in truth, a demon, just like Kyuubi. I have about six or seven tails of power, since that was how much had gone through us. Thankfully, the release of chakra when they first switched hadn't been fully restored, so it wasn't nearly as painful, or as potentially deadly."** The voice chuckled as it seemed to think of something.

**"Actually, now that I think about it, we are basically just like Naruto and Kyuubi. I can lend you my power, just as Kyuubi does Naruto. It just doesn't have a seal as a passage way, so we'll have to think up a way to do that. At least my chakra is a combination of yours and mine, so it won't feel evil. At least it shouldn't..."** The voice didn't sound overly sure, which wasn't entirely comforting, but Hinata was thrilled with the concept of having something like this to share with her Naruto-kun.

"So, I have more power now? I'm like Naruto-kun?" The voice chuckled in good humor as she spoke.

**"No, technically, I have the power. But as I am within you, and have no reason or desire not to share it, you have complete access to it. I'm not exactly sure if we are seperate, or just myself, now inside of you like Naruto and Kyuubi, but I know that I'm my own self. Now, onto another subject, as for what I feel my name should be, and how I should look, especially since I was born of a demon and a human, I think that henge Naruto did would be very appropriate for me. Though 'KyuuHina' is probably a little ... too Naruto ... for my tastes."** Hinata laughed her usual quiet laugh behind her hand as the voice spoke.

"What would you like to be called, then?" Hinata puzzled lightly at being able to feel the voice thinking within her mind. It was different, but not suffocating as she would have thought another person in her mind might be like. There was no sense of being pushed around or pressure in her mind. It was ... almost a comforting warmth.

**"I want to be called 'Tenshi'. I think it works for me."** Hinata laughed again at the voice in her head. She was a straight forward when talking with Hinata and about as prideful as Naruto.

"You want to be called 'Angel'?" Hinata couldn't hide the amusement from her voice, even though she tried.

**"And what is wrong with that? I rather like it!"** The voice, now known as 'Tenshi', acted as though affronted, but Hinata could feel the amusement coming from her.

"You were the one who wanted me to attack Ino and Sakura for looking at Naruto-kun and I." A snort from Tenshi, that was very non-angelic, came forth after Hinata's comment.

**"You wanted to thrash them just as much as I did. You need to mark him before someone else gets to him."** Hinata remembered Tenshi saying that earlier.

"What do you mean, Tenshi? You said I should do that earlier, but I don't know what it means to mark him. Or how to do it." Hinata thought briefly about the caged bird seal on all of the Hyuuga branch members, but that thought was thrown aside almost immediately after thinking it. If Tenshi really was created by parts of her own memory, she wouldn't want that as much as Hinata didn't.

**"Well, you have to put your mark on him somehow. If it were Kyuubi, he would mark his mate by biting them on the scruff of the neck,"** Hinata was rather intrigued by that idea, **"or put his scent on her, but in your case, you can't really mark him with a scent, unless you'd like a jutsu to do so, but you can certainly give him a good nip on the neck, at least for a temporary one. You'd just have to keep doing it, which is fun for both parties involved!"** Tenshi could tell Hinata's face was becoming red at the idea, even though she'd already given herself to Naruto.

"Perhaps we should do both." Hinata could tell Tenshi was grinning the same smile that Naruto had shown her when he used the henge. She was proud of Hinata for seeming to enjoy the ideas.

**"That's a good girl!"** The two began to talk about how to mark Naruto, as Hinata simply wanted to do it as a sign of her over all change, and rather liked the idea of such a possessive tactic. That, and she found herself wanting to be in position to actually do the things they talked about. They also spoke about her persona now that she wasn't under the effects of the jutsu Ino had used on her. Hinata found herself much like her previous self, but after having defeated her sister and not holding back, walking around with confidence, enough to stand up to her father and the elders, and having sex with her Naruto-kun, she was recognizing that she had more ability than she'd allow herself to think about in the past. She always wanted to be strong for Naruto, and found that she was, she just hadn't realized it. She still found herself getting nervous, which she hadn't previously while under the jutsu, but she hoped it wouldn't stay around for too much longer. She rather enjoyed who she was under the jutsu, and she realized that person wasn't far away. She would just have to overcome the nervousness.

An hour later, a resolute Hinata decided to head back to Konoha, but decided to try and pull chakra from Tenshi at her request to start practicing with it. It took a few minutes to figure out how to pull the chakra from her, but it only took feeling for it with her natural chakra control. She found it in behind her navel, just like Naruto's, though it pulsed throughout the rest of her body as well. Silently relishing in the fact that she had another similarity to her love, she pulled just a little from it and felt the affects throughout her entire body. Every sense increased several times over, she could feel her strength in the slightest twitch of her body and felt every particle around her as her Byakugan hyper-activated, far stronger than it had been before.

"Wow!" She was astounded by the changes. With her Byakugan, she was able to see one tail swaying in the air behind her, making her grin in a very Naruto-esque way. "How much can I take, Tenshi?"

**"As much as you feel like. It is yours to play with for now. I will stop you from taking too much. I would also highly recommend training along-side Naruto while you both learn to adapt to the changes you've recieved. Just not **_**too**_** close since restraint would be a thing we'll need to work on."** Hinata nodded.

"Alright." She pulled from the energy well at her belly button until she'd taken two tails' worth of power, which swayed elegantly behind her. "This is so neat!" She used her expert chakra control to bring a tail around to the front and look at it, seeing a clear haze with a rainbow of colours going through it, just as crystal would, or oil on top of water when the light hits it. It was rather pretty. It also gave off a pale white light. After admiring her new appendages, she let them go back behind her, the tips flicking in anticipation.

**"Just make sure you stop using my power before you get to Konoha! I don't know what your visual changes are, so unless you want to take a look in that brook over there, which I'd prefer, then it would be a better idea not to see what their reactions would be to the new you."** Hinata took Tenshi's advice and went to the brook and, walking on the water, which seemed to send ripples out from each step she took and looked at her form. Her entire body radiated the same soft white light she'd seen coming from her tails and her over all features were more defined and a little sharper. Her eyes had faded blue irises the same as Naruto when he tapped into Kyuubi's power, her cheeks had very faint marks as Naruto's did, and the way she moved was identical to the same seductive movements she'd watched Naruto show her during his transformation into KyuuHina. She also noticed, for the first time, that her fingernails had grown just a bit as well. Hinata smiled, which was an alluring smirk at the moment, and moved around, enjoying the changes.

"I think Naruto is going to love this!" Hinata, happy at the changes, released Tenshi's chakra, making sure everything went back, pleased that it did, and then took it again, pleased at the alterations once again. After that, she decided to head back to Konoha as fast as she could move. She ran from the top of the brook, not noticing as she disappeared almost instantly that the water in the brook rushed out and onto the other side of the bank, filling back in after a few seconds and ice crystals forming where each step had taken her.

The trees whizzed by in a blur as she came up on the gates of Konoha after only a couple of seconds. She let go of the power as soon as she knew she was close and managed to stop after a very long slide on the ground, a cloud of dust following her wake. She looked around at herself and the ground around her as the guards looked on in shock at her speed.

"That was great!" she squealed. "Naruto-kun is going to love this!" She happily ran back into Konoha, completely ignoring the guards in her excitement.

------------------------

Sakura, after leaving Ino's and both swearing to never bring up anything about what had happened to anyone else, went to find Lee. It was still early in the day and there was just enough time to get done with what she had planned. She knew Lee's work ethic, so she started out with all of the training grounds. After trying eight different ones, she actually lucked out and caught up to both Lee and his sensei, Gai, running through town.

"Lee!" At hearing his name, both Lee and Gai turned to Sakura as they saw her running up to them, waving an arm to catch their attention.

"Hello, Sakura!" Lee waved back as both he and Gai stopped as she caught up to them after a few seconds of running.

"Hiya, Lee! I just needed you to pick a number!" Sakura clasped her hands in front of her and smiled sweetly at him, not divulging her plans. She had decided that no matter which number he chose, unless it was two like last time, she would say it was actually number three, which was a date with at least a kiss, maybe more if he was a good kisser. But she would have to see about changing his outfit and those ... eyebrows.

Lee suddenly became very nervous, which made his sensei and mentor raise an eyebrow in curiousity. "Ah, Sakura, um... what were the choices again?"

"A number between one and four, and you already know what number two is." She winked at him, forgetting for a moment that Gai was standing just beside him, though he was beginning to get wind of what was going on, and was smiling in his usual creepy manner. Thankfully, he remained quiet, though he wanted to say something very moving when Lee coughed at being told he knew what number two was.

"Um, I, think I will chose... three, Sakura." Sakura beamed at him, pleased that he'd actually chosen the correct one. Inner Sakura raged about the Fates working for the force of love.

"Alright, then you get to take me on a date tonight!" She chose to ignore the pose Gai made and the moonlit ocean backdrop that seemed to appear from nowhere. Lee, however, was not so easily ignored.

**"YOSH! THE ETERNAL FLAMES OF YOUTH AND PASSION HAVE IGNITED WITHIN AND-** He was cut off by Sakura placing her hands on his shoulders and stopping him from hopping up and down and in circles

"If we're going to go on a date, there are two things I would ask that you do."

"Yes, Sakura. You may ask for anything your beautiful heart desires!" The corner of her mouth twitched, nearly into a smile. She rather enjoyed his flowery speeches, so long as he wasn't yelling them at the top of his lungs. That, and he agreed to basically anything before asking what it was. Once that thought flashed through her mind, the smile came out with a vengeance and Lee and Gai both whimpered and shrank away from her.

"Oh no you don't, Loverboy. Item number one is coming right now." With that, she clamped onto his arm and began to drag him away, Lee and Gai both calling out for each other as though one were off to their doom, which they feared he was.

--------------------------

Naruto couldn't help but be in an incredible mood the whole day, even while getting new clothes to replace the ones he'd forcibly grown out of during his last mission. Someone knew his secret, and didn't hate him. Better yet, she wasn't afraid of him, either. She actually loved him, and proved it; several times in fact. The thought almost made him blush, but some colorful commentary from Kyuubi made him stumble and run into a wall.

"Damned furball!"

**"Oh, do shut up, Kit! I'm the one making sure you don't come up with any stupid ideas here!"** Naruto was sure he heard him mumbling something about taking two hours to talk him out of Ichiraku ramen for dinner. Really, how was he supposed to know it wouldn't have been a good idea? It had always been his favourite. The only good constant in his life. It was a comfort that he had never really gotten past. And it was cheap enough, that he could comfort himself until his belly ached and then he had no reason to eat anything else. It was a win-win situation.

"Well, aside from what we're doing right now, is everything else to your satisfaction, oh Great and Powerful Kyuubi?" The sarcasm was apparently lost on the king of all demons.

**"I suppose it isn't horrible... But I expect better from my protege next time."** It really was great pissing off his container. There wasn't a whole lot else he could do while trapped as he was. Admittedly, he could have obtained his freedom while the positions were reversed during Kokoro's jutsu, but he would have been severely weakened, and, though he would never admit it, he'd grown to like the blonde brat he was stuck in. After experiencing everything that he did as a child, and offering to kill them all countless times, he began to understand humans as more than loud and wriggly food and chewtoys with crunchy centers.

Naruto just grumbled about bastard foxes that should keep their perverted thoughts to themselves. In truth, he rather enjoyed the fox showing him his memories, but was against the idea of experiencing them in mid-leap from one rooftop to another. It seemed to be the furball's newest and favourite game.

Naruto landed in front of the Academy, his intended target still in one of the classrooms. He entered, getting a few stares, just as he had been all day since he arrived. He ignored them as always, therefore, not seeing that most of them were of shock, rather than the usual hate and disdain. Naruto arrived while everyone was playing on the playground, so he knew he could talk to Iruka without much trouble or hassle. When he got to the right classroom, he looked in the window on the door to see Iruka grading some papers and no one else in the room. Smiling is usual foxy smile, he decided to have some fun. He created a few Kage Bunshin and had them all use a henge to change into various women from town; Anko, Kurenai, Tsunade, Shizune and Inuzuka Hana, Kiba's sister. The five women walked in to a surprised Iruka who greeted them kindly.

"Hello. Is there anything I can help you wi-AHH!" They surrounded his desk in a semi-circle and began to disrobe around him. After each threw away an item of clothing at the same time, Iruka screamed while a geyser of blood erupted from his nose, rocketing him into the wall where he fell unconcious. Each girl blinked a few times before bursting out in laughter. Naruto himself laughed while walking into the room, not noticing one of the students who'd seen the whole thing from a window and ran off as soon as he saw the girls undressing, mimbling about his perverted sensei and promising himself he would never bring this up to anyone. He had seen enough ninja thrown from the top of the Hokage Tower, or rather, punched, when Tsunade was angry. There was no way in hell he would go through that.

Naruto let his kage bunshin disappear and woke up Iruka after placing him back on his chair with his head on his desk.

"Huh? Naruto? What's going on?" Iruka looked around, half expecting to see the five women again and half hoping to.

"I don't know. You were asleep on your desk, so I figured I'd wake you since recess is almost over anyway. But I also had a few questions for you, if you didn't mind. It will only take a few moments." Iruka raised an eyebrow at Naruto as he spoke.

"You do realize that I can still tell when you lie, right? That, and also, the likelihood of all of them coming in here and doing that is non-existant." Naruto had the grace to blush and look ashamed, or at the least, sorry he was caught out.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help it." Iruka waved him off.

"No worries, Naruto, I need to learn to get past it anyway. So, what did you need? And why do you look so different? You've been gone less than a month."

"Well, I don't have time today to explain, so I'll tell you tomorrow why I look different, the whole story. But for now, I've only got a little time and had a request." Iruka was rather curious, so decided it would be worth it to see what would come of it.

"Sure, Naruto. I'll do you a favor, you need only ask." All of a sudden, Naruto seemed rather nervous, which made Iruka feel an opportunity for payback was fast-approaching.

"Uh, well, you see.."

"Yes? Naruto?" Naruto didn't like Iruka's overly sweet voice.

"Well, you see, its like this. Um-"

"On with it, Naruto!" Perhaps, spooking Naruto when he was trying to say something important wasn't a great idea as he sputtered the very thing he was concentrating on not saying.

"I had sex with Hinata-chan!" Immediately, Naruto clamped his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide as he realized he'd just screwed up, big time. The confusing part was that Iruka hadn't moved a bit, or even twitched, and his face was completely blank.

"Uh, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto hesitantly put out a hand and gave a soft push to Iruka's shoulder, which seemed to bring him back with a vengeance.

"YOU WHAT!" Naruto, startled, flew back and attached himself to the wall that was twenty feet from Iruka's desk. "YOU HAD BETTER TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON!" Iruka sat in his chair and looked pointedly at Naruto as he detached himself and walked over to his desk, just as he had when he did something wrong while still in class. Naruto sat and explained things as best he could, finding he had to go back on his statement of explaining his new body later, he explained everything from the mission, Hinata's first kiss, her changing attitude, finding out about Ino's mind jutsu, that it was over by that point and she wanted him to ask her on a date, which led to why he was asking Iruka for his help and what it was. Naruto rushed through it a bit so that he could be over with the explanation before everyone came back in.

Iruka sat back in his chair and regarded Naruto with a piercing gaze. He knew that Hinata had a crush on Naruto since they both started in his class. He knew Hiashi would blow his top when he found out about this. With the Byakugan, there was no telling if or when he would find out about the whole thing. Sighing, he decided the only thing he could really do would be to help out the boy who had basically become a younger brother or even son to him. Naruto was asking for such a small thing, when he could be asking for more, and still obviously felt it was too much.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll get what you wanted. Your idea is a pretty good one, but remember, she isn't under the influence of a jutsu now. Remember to think about her from this point on. Try to pay attention to her actions and what she's wanting. Hinata is still a very shy and reserved girl. Let her set the pace." Iruka was pleased to see a serious and thoughtful expression on Naruto's face. It meant he was taking this as seriously as he should.

"I understand, Iruka. I have no intention of hurting her. I just hope she still doesn't mind the looks she'll get from the villagers." Iruka could swear he felt the apprehension and sadness radiating off of Naruto as he spoke.

"Things are getting better, Naruto. You've found someone of your own age group that accepts you, and you will find more. As for the villagers, you are changing many views. Most are ignorant of what goes on, and it will just take a bit more for them to see you as the same person that I see you as; that Tsunade-sama see you as, Sandaime-sama, Sakura and even Hinata." Naruto looked up at Iruka with a sad face, even though he was smiling. Iruka knew the look to mean he wanted to believe him, needed to, but couldn't.

"You go and get the rest of your date prepared and I'll do my part for you." Naruto jumped up and gave Iruka a bone-crushing hug, still not used to his strength. Thankfully, no damage was really done, it was just a wee bit painful.

"Thanks, Iruka." With that, he seemed to disappear in front of Iruka's eyes. The Chuunin's eyes widened at the obvious speed, especially realizing he hadn't sensed any excess chakra, meaning Naruto either didn't use any, or his control was far greater than the last time they'd spoken.

"You're welcome, Naruto." Iruka sat down and waited the few minutes for the students to come back.

After Naruto left Iruka, it was just about a half hour past noon, so he decided he'd try to find Hinata and see if she was still wanting to go on their date. He was relatively sure she would, especially after the previous night's revelations, but he was still very worried about it. Thankfully, he never shied away from a challenge before. And the one time he'd thought about it, it was Hinata, during the first Chuunin exam, who gave him his courage back.

With a smile, Naruto upped his speed a little.

-----------------------

Sakura was rather pleased with herself. She had obtained Lee's agreement to her conditions for the date before he actually knew what they were, meaning she was able to do the one thing all girls loved: a make-over.

She'd first taken him to get a new haircut and his eyebrows tweased, which made him squirm in the most delightful manner, and then took him to get a new outfit. She was willing to understand the benefit of the green spandex while training, and secretely enjoyed the view, but convinced him that normal clothes were required for every-day use, dates especially. All it took was a few flowery words about how it made the moments better and more enjoyable. He was hooked. She told him that it was all part of a 'make-over', which meant it was all only the first of two things he would have to do for her. The fear in his eyes while asking about number two almost made her laugh. _'Boys are such pansies, sometimes,'_ she thought.

"Well, the second one isn't for now. It will be explained later. I must say, however, you look very handsome with your new clothes and look." Deciding that she hadn't exactly played fair, she gave him a very short, but thorough kiss on the lips to make up for it, delighing in the way his body moved like a ramen noodle afterwards.

While he was out of sorts, she examined him again, still very pleased with the changes. His hair was cut shorter, but slightly spiked, making him appear a bit more ferocious, his eyebrows were now normal and his clothing was made up of wide black pants, tied at the ankles with dark grey bands, a deep forest-green shirt that wasn't tight, but let anyone who cared to look know muscles were hiding beneath it and black gloves, to replaced the bandages he kept around his hands so he wouldn't have to feel too out of place without anything there. Sakura hadn't originally planned on those, but he kept rubbing his hands together without the familiarity of anything on them. She decided it was a decent compromise to fashion and his comfort zone.

Lee came out of his blissful trance and smiled brightly at Sakura, making her happy with her decision to give him a chance. "What was that for, Sakura-chan?"

"For being a good sport about all of this. The clothes were needed, but the haircut and eyebrows was more of a change for you, and I just wanted to thank you for letting me do this."

"You needn't thank me, Sakura-chan, but I am more than happy to recieve your thanks if you ever want to say as much again!" Both laughed as Lee walked Sakura to her apartment, agreeing on a time to meet for their date, Lee being the one to choose where. Sakura decided that if Hinata was willing to let Naruto, she'd let Lee and see what she got out of it. It had most certainly worked for Hinata. Sakura left Lee at her door, dazed from another kiss.

_'Yes, I think I'll like being the aggressor in this relationship.'_ She fell onto her back as she thought. _'Maybe he'll want to punish me if I'm naughty...'_ It was with a string of perverted giggles that Sakura began to think about what she'd wear.

---------------------

Somewhere, a good day's ninja run away, an old lecher with spikey white hair threw his head up from the peep-hole he was looking through. His ecchi-radar was going off faster and louder than anything else had in months. With a gleeful cry of 'I'm coming by beauties!', Jiraiya took off at top speed, already out of sight of the town by the time the women in the hot springs heard his yell and realized someone had been peeping on them.

---------------------

Hinata was making her way to the shopping sector of Konoha with the intention of getting something nice to wear for Naruto, while also getting some new training equipment for the two of them. She'd never worked with so much chakra before, and Tenshi told her some of how Naruto's chakra changed after the he and Kyuubi changed places from her memories of the event from Kyuubi passing some of his own on. It would be easier on them, since they were used to things happening like that, but she certainly wasn't, and may want to get pointers from him on how to handle it.

She was passing Ichiraku, hoping to see Naruto when she actually did meet up with him. He had his nose pointed into the air, sniffing, making his way towards her.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata's nervousness was there, but she was doing her best to ignore it. Tenshi was offering her own encouragement, which made it almost simple. She realized she was nowhere near as nervous as she used to be, though.

At hearing her voice, Naruto looked at her and smiled brightly, making her cheeks redden just a bit. He still felt her blushing was cute, but had to admit, demanding Hinata was pretty cute too.

"Heya, Hinata-chan. I was just looking for you." Naruto walked up to her, hesitating only slightly, still a little unsure of how she would react, though she appeared favourable so far. Hinata smiled gently at him, giving him the assurance he needed.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." She was curious as to why he seemed to have been sniffing the air when he said he was looking for her.

**"He was probably following your scent. It was probably a change from when Kyuubi altered his body a bit. You'll want to ask him about it later."** Tenshi was certainly intrigued that concept. It would mean he'd already committed her scent to memory.

"So, er... I was wondering... um," Naruto ran his fingers through his hair, not understanding why he was so nervous. "Would you still like me to take you out tonight? I'd understand if you don't want to, I mean, with everything you know and after Ino's jutsu being taken off and all, but I wou-" Hinata quieted Naruto's rambling with a hand to his mouth and another gentle smile.

"You've still got to ask me, Naruto-kun." Naruto offered her a dazzling smile in return, taking her hand into his own.

"Hinata-chan, will you go out with me tonight?"

"Of course," she spoke quietly, her face blushing fiercly as she looked down, trying to hide it. Naruto used his free hand to lift her face to him.

"You shouldn't hide your smile. Its beautiful." Hinata smiled brightly at him, happy that he would say something like that when he wasn't exactly known for his tact.

"So, what do you have planned for our date tonight?" She _almost_ worried at the mischevious smile that crept into his face.

"Its going to be a surprise! But I'll tell you I'm taking care of dinner, so you don't need to worry about eating. Does seven-thirty sound okay?" Hinata nodded.

"Yes. Dinner at my home is usually around eight, so that works." Some quick advice from Tenshi, and Hinata smirked before standing very close to Naruto and running her thumb over his hand, still holding her own. "Can't you tell my _anything_ else about tonight?" She felt strangely elated as he gulped audibly.

"Er, uh, no. Not really. I want to surprise you." Hinata, not even realizing it, let go of his hand and rubbed her index finger down his chest, nearly purring her words as she spoke.

"But don't you _want_ to share your secret with me, my Naruto-kun?" Naruto gulped audibly again, this time getting very warm all of a sudden.

"Um..." Naruto fought with every fiber in his being. He could tell Hinata was teasing him, but _SWEET KAMI_ did he enjoy it. "It'll b-be a s-s-secret Hinata-c-c-c-chan." He coughed, as though clearing his throat after speaking. Hinata's smirk grew in size with each stutter. This she could get used to. Deciding to end the teasing, she stretched up on his toes, closing the distance between her lips and his and, just before meeting, dropped down quickly.

"Well, I guess that you don't get a kiss if I don't get answers." She put on an overly faux thoughtful expression, actually paying attention to Naruto's pouting, before continuing. "But still, this is more fun. Alright. We'll meet up at seven-thirty? Where at? I don't want the Hyuuga Elders to know about us for another couple of days until I can be sure they won't try to interfere." Naruto was slightly curious about that, but decided to ask later.

"North gate." Hinata quirked an eyebrow at that, but decided to go along with it.

"Alright. Meet you then." She left Naruto, activating her Byakugan to watch him as he watched her leave with a smile on his face. She deliberately walked slowly so as not to seem in a rush and to let him watch her longer. A part of her was shocked at her own actions, while a now much bigger part loved the attention he was giving her. The smaller part was only calmed by the fact that she knew he wasn't only doing all of this for the physical aspect of the relationship. Once she was out of sight, she decided to change her tactics for going outside of the gate. Based on that knowledge, she suspected a picnic of some sort.

Naruto watched Hinata disappear into the crowd and around the corner. Both he and Kyuubi were shocked at her teasing torment. They decided to get everything ready for the night, primarily the main event. Naruto knew what he wanted, but was also aware of a lack of experience in it, and was getting a lot of coaching from Kyuubi for it. He wanted it to be exactly how he imagined it. While Naruto ran off to get to the spot where he could practice, Kyuubi was trying to figure out what felt different about her. Something was different from both before and during the blonde girl's jutsu, and he was curious as to what.

------------------------

Lee, very uncomfortable in his new outfit, walked with Sakura towards the Bakaru Barbeque Hut. Sakura, having thought that Lee would be rather new to the dating scene, and going out like this at all, had wanted to make sure that she didn't pull him too far out of his comfort zone and had spoken about a very simple date for their first one. With all of the stares he was getting in his new outfit, Lee was quite happy about that decision. He was wearing the outfit Sakura had selected for this very occasion; a pair of very dark gray pants and off-white shirt, both giving ample room for movement, in case the worst should occur, but with enough style and flair to look nice. Perhaps the biggest thing, however, keeping him from having a good time, was the worry about what Sakura's second wish had been. He'd asked her twice about it, and both times, she'd given a frightful smirk and told him he'd have to wait and see. He didn't mind quite so much, since she seemed to enjoy giving him kisses for making him wait. If it wouldn't have been too obvious, he'd ask over and over again. Unknown to him, she had been continuously testing his kissing ability, and kept getting happier and happier with it. He really was a quick learner.

Entering the restaurant, they sat at a table off to the side for some privacy. There was less light at that particular table, and less people, which meant more quiet. Sitting down, they waited until the waitress came over to take their orders. When she did, she addressed herself by name with a bright smile.

"Good evening! I'm Ayumi and will be serving you tonight. Do you already know what you would like?" Looking at each other, they affirmed just that.

"I'd like chicken tempura, bean sprouts and raspberry tea," Sakura said.

"Barbeque beef, dango, the day's vegetable special and water with lemon for me, please." Ayumi smiled and left to fill their orders. After she left, Lee and Sakura looked at each other once again.

"So, Sakura-chan, why did you finally decide to date me? Not that I'm complaining, but you have never really shown any interest until recently." Lee knew she wasn't using him as a substitute for Sasuke, but was curious about the sudden change. She'd been much warmer for the past year and a half, and it simply changed drastically during the mission. Or at least got much, much warmer.

"Well," she began, looking a little nervous with pink cheeks, "I've been getting closer for a while, but, during the mission, I found out that you tend to snuggle in your sleep." As embarassing as the statement was, she realized immediately that it was far more embarassing for him to hear it. She smiled brightly at him as she continued. "We've never really had time to spend together and we had plenty of it during our mission, and I realized I liked it. So I decided to try the two of us, and if it works out, wonderful, and if not, then we've tried and know." Silently, she thought to herself that the snuggling was definitely her turning point. His hands had a tendency to rest on her waist when she woke up and she couldn't remember feeling more content. She felt better about the whole thing considering she knew it wasn't lust.

"O-oh." THAT he was not expecting. But he didn't mind. It just meant that she may want to end up in a similar situation again. But once that thought crossed his mind, his blush deepened and he couldn't look at her. He didn't mean it in a naughty way when he thought it, but even he could realize how bad it sounded. Maybe it was that very thought, or maybe it was previous experience, but he decided he couldn't leave well enough alone. "So, Sakura-chan, what is the second thing you wanted of me?" A cold shiver ran down his spine as her eyes promised something that he couldn't determine was good or bad. It could also have been the smirk that reminded him of that Anko woman.

-------------------------

Jiraiya didn't have time for the two guards standing at the gate. His radar was going off at an alarming rate, practically screaming in his head, telling him he was almost too late. He'd been running all out since it first went off, even taking a soldier pill halfway back to make sure he'd make it. His breath was ragged, his hair matted down in sweat and a light foam forming at the corners of his mouth. These two Chuunin were obstacles between him and what could very well promise to be the whole reason behind his next Icha Icha book. Bending down a little, the Chuunin realized he wasn't planning on stopping; which was verified when he knocked them both into the sides of the gate, continuing as quickly as possible towards the source of his Nirvanna.

It was when he was about two hundred yards into the town that a very horrible realization hit upon him. Jiraiya could feel himself pulled in two seperate directions. He slid to a screeching halt, tears running down his cheeks, realizing that he couldn't tell which would be better. He began prancing back and forth, first going towards one, then feeling pulled towards the other, over and over again. A woman off to the side grabbed her child and turned their face away from him, rushing off from the wierd man making the wierd sounds in the middle of the roadway. She seemed to ignore the kid's request to watch the funny dancer and asking why he wasn't in a dress like the ones during the festivals.

--------------------------

Naruto had recieved his things from Iruka two hours before and had set everything up in advance. Now, he was on his way to meet Hinata at the gate, just as they had agreed upon. He couldn't figure out why he was so nervous after they had basically proved to each other, several times in fact, that they wanted to be together. She had wanted to be with him for years, and he was almost ashamed to admit that he had never really noticed. Sure, he realized some of the odd things she'd done, but he had always misconstrued them as her just being odd and timid. Now he knew better, and was happy that he had learned the truth. Naruto silently mused that it was probably that very thing that made him worry; that she might come to her senses. But he knew what she'd given him, and he knew enough that it wasn't something so easily or freely given. The villagers may make a big deal of the two of them being together, but he would make sure that he kept her safe, from anyone and anything that would attempt to harm her. Tsunade-baachan would help him, he was sure of it, and that would mean the whole ninja force at her disposal.

Naruto was so caught up in his musing that he didn't notice a horribly frustrated Jiraiya bouncing on his feet, making little noises of frustration. Jiraiya, however, was able to recognize Naruto's blonde hair from a mile away, and suddenly remembered that he was an elite ninja, a Sannin even, and had jutsu at his command. Before he could actually perform a Kage Bunshin, he noticed a very, very important fact. The direction of one of those all-important feelings he was getting passed him just as Naruto did. Forgetting for a moment that there even was a second, he stared blankly as Naruto rushed up to a very pretty girl who seemed just as enthused to see him. Jiraiya noticed Naruto shyly greet the girl, who then hugged him, and Naruto led her towards the gate, holding hands along the way.

It took nearly every ounce of self-control Jiraiya had not to shout to the heavens that Naruto may just have followed in his footsteps. He knew one of his targets, who seemed to be going for a very secluded spot, and had to still find his other. Deciding that Naruto was more important, and most _certainly_ had a beauty on his hands, he made a Kage Bunshin to track down his other allusive prey, giving him a real book and pen to do his work so he wouldn't have to rely on memory or a verbal story. He did, after all, have a duty to make sure his pupil didn't do anything improperly. It was with a very perverted giggle, that he made sure didn't get loud, that escaped him. Tsunade had sent him a letter explaining everything about their most recent mission to find out if it was something to be worried about, so he knew of his enhanced senses. He'd have to make sure to stay down wind and as quiet as possible.

Meanwhile, his clone was scouting a barbeque restaurant that seemed a rather odd place for his sense to take him, but it had never once failed him before. He waited on the roof, sighed, and watched for each person coming out, wishing he'd been able to be the one going to watch Naruto and that girl with him. His creator's memory let him know she was a Hyuuga, of the Main family, meaning probably the Hinata girl. She'd always had a thing for him.

The night was beginning to fall, a few stars peeking out of the dusky sky and people were beginning to head their way home, a few going to the bars. He noticed a rather pleasant woman walking down the road and took a quick note of her, just to pass the time. It was another ten minutes before his pervert radar practically blasted him onto his back. Quickly looking over, he saw Naruto's old teammate coming out with a boy that he could swear was the one that had once been the Gai-clone, though in much better condition. He could tell immediately who the aggressor of the two was. He watched as said aggressor latched onto the boy and forcibly yanked him down the road. Apparently, he wasn't walking fast enough for her, as she said she wanted to go to the top of the Hokage monument where they were to talk about something or other. The Jiraiya clone had the feeling that things were going to be slow for a while, but followed diligently. His pervert radar would allow nothing less, clone or not.

------------------------------------------

"Where are we going, Naruto-kun?" Hinata giggled lightly as he held her hand, both running through the treetops to some unknown location. She was pleased to see Naruto with a mischevious smile on his face, meaning he had planned something, but what it was, she had no idea. Knowing him, however, it was bound to be surprising. That was just who he was.

"Its a surprise, Hinata-chan. I made it just for this." Naruto's grin grew wider as she caught the comment about him having made whatever 'it' was. He was glad she only smiled coyly at him and ran with him in silence. It was a very soft pace, so they weren't even winding themselves, making sure to arrive around dusk. He had worked hard with Kyuubi to make this work so that he could make their first date special, and he was very happy with what he had created. He just hoped she would like it.

A few minutes of a light run and Naruto jumped ahead and down onto the ground, Hinata following. They walked into a clearing that Hinata knew to be his usual training area for chakra control and taijutsu. He never used destructive jutsu in this spot, and she could understand why. A light stream with large trees and a large clearing in the middle of the trees up top allowed a very clean view of the sky, letting plenty of sunlight during the day, and a beautiful view of the stars at night.

"What are we doing here, Naruto-kun?" Hinata knew he wouldn't take advantage of her. He just wasn't that type of a person, but she couldn't think of anything else aside from training, and she was sure he knew that would be a bad idea. When he flashed her a brilliant smile and jumped into one of the trees, he wrestled with a large basket and then hopped down, showing it to her.

"I made us dinner so we could have a picnic and watch the stars." A light blush crossed his cheeks when she stood up straight with a dazzling smile. "Er, also, there was one other thing ... that I made." Hinata rather enjoyed his nervous side. It thrilled her that she could do this to him.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" His eyes came to rest on her slowly and he smiled at her, though a slightly nervous one still. Instead of answering, he motioned to lay out all of the food, first. Together, they unloaded several fingerfoods, nothing that was really a major meal in and of itself. There were also three different drinks, since he wasn't sure what she would want. Once done, he stood up while Hinata was still kneeling, situating the food in an organized way.

"Now I'll show you." He stood up and faced away from her, looking towards the stream. He began doing several handseals, relatively slowly compared to his normal ability since he wasn't familiar with this, and channeled his chakra as he was had learned to do, holding his hands in the last seal he'd completed.

As Hinata watched, she saw as thin strands of chakra, both red and blue, came from Naruto's body in tiny wisps. They came out of him like strings and formed into little balls that began to bounce around, some even appearing to bob together, as if dancing together. Several of the red and blue stands seemed to come together and formed a few deep purple ones. The light they gave out was soft and pale, much like candlelight through frosted glass. They all moved slowly and bounced along softly together. The effect of these little balls was a simple dance in the air like giant fireflies that gave such soft light that it barely illuminated anything, but each was easily visible. Next, several blue wisps came out of him, flowing into the stream and settling along the bottom, lighting it from beneath, giving an incredible view of the distorted stands of chakra that made the water look like liquid fire. Once done, he performed seven more seals and then turned to her, scratching the back of his head.

"Do you like it?" Hinata was wide-eyed at this point. She could tell it wasn't a genjutsu, or any other form of illusionary technique, but she had no clue what it really was. She could only nod mutely as she watched the multitude of spheres bounce lazily in the air. It really was very pretty, and she could tell that it would just get better as it got darker.

"Its... very pretty. How did you make this?"

"I dunno, I just thought it up and asked Kyuubi how I could keep them from disappearing."

--------------------------------------------

Jiraiya almost gave away his position when he heard Naruto speak so freely about the Kyuubi. The shock kept him quiet and still for a few seconds, but as he was about to yell at Naruto for letting his secret out, he realized Hinata didn't even act surprised. She simply nodded and began to ask what it actually did, completely ignoring the comment about the Kyuubi. He was shocked, to say the least, when Naruto pulled out such a technique and had to admit, the kid had flair for setting the mood when it came to the ladies. Jiraiya had been writing on his notepad non-stop until Naruto began whatever it was that set up those lights in the air. He was just as entranced by the little lights as Hinata had been, if not more so, considering he knew how much chakra it would take to give them that they didn't actually snuff out as soon as he stopped his own chakra flows.

He listened to the conversation, knowing this wasn't just about the sense of illicit duty he had to his readers at this point. Or his pride in Naruto's choice in women.

---------------------------------------------

"So, basically, you bind the chakra into a giant knot, and it slowly unravels, giving off the light?"

"Yup! I got the idea from that dream I had when we went after the Bikochuu bug to track down Sasuke." Hinata blushed as she recalled the event. Naruto had been sleeping and woke up because he had to use the bathroom. He wound up seeing her doing training on top of the water, completely nude since she didn't want to get her clothes wet, and then said he'd dreamed about an 'ultra pretty girl' the next day.

"Anyway, I dreamed that there was this really pretty girl dancing on top of the water. The water moved as she moved and the moonlight reflected on the water. She was mainly cloud in shadows, but it always stuck with me and- huh? Hinata, are you okay?" He'd noticed the blush across her face and didn't attribute it to her usual reasons, since she had barely done that since the jutsu had taken hold.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, I am. I was just remembering that." She was blushing heavily as she spoke, knowing she wanted to tell him, but unsure how.

"Eh? How can you remember that nig- oh! Right, the morning when I told Kiba about it, right."

"No, actually, I was the one in the water," she wanted to feint again as his eyes widened, "and that was why I was ill the next day. Remember the technique I used to block the bee summon? That was how I developed it, by training on the water." Naruto was speechless. The single-most mesmerizing event in his memory, and it was the girl that had given her heart to him. Slowly, a large grin showed up on his face.

"The girl of my dreams is literally just that!" They both laughed at the corny joke, Hinata because she thought it was cute and Naruto because he thought he was funny. They began to eat the foods that Naruto had prepared; sliced fruits, rice balls, chicken and shrimp tempura, spring rolls and other odds and ends to take up some room. He had made sure not to include ramen into the food, even if it was his favourite. He was well-aware of the fact that few, if any, people liked it as well as he did. He was resigned to eating it mostly on special occasions for himself, and occasionally with Hinata-chan. He felt it a fair trade.

---------------------------------------------

Jiraiya had hung on to every word Naruto had used to describe the moonlight scene from before, already taking up several pages for his notes. He already knew he could use such a thing for his own books. He could easily imagine her figure, dancing on the water gracefully and streams of water seemingly following her every physical command, looking as though she were controlling the very light of the moon itself. He resolved to try and bring it up with Naruto in the future to get another perspective about it rather than what he would tell the girl he was dating about dreaming of another girl. Even Naruto couldn't be stupid enough to say that in front of the girl he was hoping to date. Or was dating, apparently.

Noticing Hinata lean in to kiss some of the fruit juice from the corner of Naruto's mouth from a rather juicy orange slice, he furiously began to scribble notes, unaware that she was getting her own encouragement from her own inner demon.

---------------------------------------------

During their meal, Lee told Sakura of his plans for their date. He wanted to take her for a simple meal, as they had agreed upon, a walk to the park and through it to talk about themselves and so they could figure out what they would like to get out of the relationship, which had been Gai's idea, though he wouldn't tell her that, and anything else they felt they would like to do that night. When she heard about the walk through the park, she realized he'd timed it for when it was almost completely dark after stepping outside. After realizing that, she snagged his arm and decided to have them go to the top of the Hokage Monument so they could just watch the stars and moon there. It would require less energy, and she wanted to be able to talk without worrying about other people who may have been around in the park.

After arriving at the base of the monument, Lee remembered her enthusiasm to get to the top while the stars were out, so he picked her up bridal style, enjoying the giggles she offered, and leapt up to the top, bouncing from different spots. She was still giggling madly when he set her down on top of the head of the Sandaime.

"Now, we can watch as the rest of the stars come out!" Smiling, they both sat down, not noticing the pissed off lecher who didn't appreciate have to move so quickly while maintain his stealth when he couldn't let any chakra out as the girl was Tsunade's apprentice and would be able to detect it.

_'Damn you, Pinky! Why the hell did you have to be so good at detecting chakra?'_ The Jiraiya clone settled himself close enough to hear them, in case they should say anything of interest, and with a very good view of any action that may come about.

The two settled down and leaned against each other as they sat back against the cliff wall, watching the stars in silence for several minutes. The clone was beginning to doubt his own abilities as they just sat there until they began to talk.

"Lee, what is your dream for the future?" Sakura's question was met with a shocked Lee. He hadn't expected a question like that from her.

"To prove that one doesn't need Ninjutsu or Genjutsu to become a great Shinobi. Why?"

"But why do you want to be a ninja? Why not just look at Gai and say, 'he is incredible with Taijutsu and doesn't really use anything else,'?" Lee was beginning to feel like Sakura may have been making fun of his dreams, but didn't think she would do such a thing. He decided to follow this to see where it was going before committing to such a thought.

"I ... suppose it is because people had always told me that I would amount to nothing. I began to believe it for a while, to tell you the truth, but I decided that I made my own worth. So I decided I would prove them wrong, and become as great as I could be. Since my parents were dead, I didn't really know what they did, so I couldn't follow their path." Sakura, at this point was watching him, almost crying after she realized that she asked a question that seemed to have brought up bad memories for him. She only watched and listened, spellbound by his voice and the sound of determination in his words.

"I decided to choose my own path. I saw ninja all over the place living in Konoha, and I decided I would be great, like them. In the Academy, I had no talents with chakra. I later learned I had an illness that made my chakra pathways to barely grow. During the Academy, I was told, still, that I would amount to nothing, and my lack of chakra was proof for them. I decided that I would still be great, and chose Taijutsu as my specialty." He looked over to her and smiled sadly at her.

"My dream, then, is to prove my worth. That I have some reason to be here." Sakura was amazed as his sad smile turned to a happy one as he proclaimed his dream. "What is yours, Sakura-chan?"

"Very similar to yours, actually. I always felt that Naruto and Sasuke were leaving me behind when I saw them growing by leaps and bounds. Or rather, that I was failing to grow with them. So I want to prove that I can be there for them when I need to be, and that I don't always need to be protected." Lee smiled at her as she finished her speech.

"A good dream and goal to have. And one that you are nearly finished with. You are growing to be just as powerful as Hokage-sama, Sakura-chan." Sakura smiled at him and made a decision.

"Lee, its time for your second term." Her smile turned back into an Anko smirk as his smile vanished, to be replaced with an expression of fear.

"W-what i-is it, S-S-Sak-ura-Ch-Chan?" She leaned forward and nibbled on his earlobe, causing a silent perverted giggle from the Jiraiya clone and a quick intake of breath from Lee.

"Don't fight this." With that, the Jiraiya clone's eyes widened at her command and Lee became an active participant in returning her ministrations. The clone began to scribble furiously as Lee bit down on Sakura's collarbone, eliciting a growl from her.

"As you wish, Sakura-_chan_." As he used the familiar suffix to her name, he ran his hand up her side lightly, pulling a squeak out of her. Sakura's eyes crossed as shivers ran through her body at his touch. His cuddling had never done this to her during their mission.

----------------------------

Jiraiya had never been so happy in his life. His very own apprentice was beyond anything he could teach him in regards to setting up the mood for a date. He had taken the Hyuuga beauty to a secluded area, full of nature and it's own natural beauty which women loved, set up a meal that was all finger foods, which kept the two in a light mood, rather than anything substantial for food, which would have weighted their stomachs and given a more serious tone to the atmosphere and held light conversation, a few things of which he noted to talk with Naruto about later.

The two had, after roughly thirty minutes of eating, talking and wonderful teasing, eventually got around to what his radar had pulled him to. He read over his notes, trying to remember if there was anything he needed to add while there was a lull.

_Naruto was eating a piece of the melon that Iruka had purchased for him, the juice dribbling down his chin slightly. After the incident with the orange, he didn't care to eat as carefully as he normally would have. They were nearly done eating, both only picking at it as they spoke. When Hinata got another suggestion from Tenshi to kiss the juice from his chin for more teasing, she decided on another tactic. She leaned forward, kissing the juice from him like she had several times that night, knowing his game, but she leaned further forward this time, pushing him back as she kissed. After a couple of seconds of happy kissing, she realized Naruto was keeping his hands either on her side, her back or on her head where he could hold her gently while kissing. It was easy to understand why._

_"Naruto-kun, I would like to try again." She leaned her head into his hand as he caressed her cheek._

_"Are you sure, Hinata-chan? I know you aren't under the jutsu anymore and I honestly don't mind waiting until you feel more comfortable with this. The only expectation I have for tonight is for us to have a good time and go to bed happy with how the night ended." Hinata was beyond pleased with his words. It only confirmed what she wanted to do with him._

_"I know, Naruto-kun. But it is partly because of that that I want to do this. I need to be sure I can do this without needing the jutsu to let me. I want to be sure I can still be the person I was while spending our mission time with you. That I actually could have done this on my own. I wanted last night, but I need to know I didn't just do it because of the jutsu." Naruto knew he wasn't exactly the sharpest kunai in the bunch, but he could understand what she was saying. In a way, she was needing to make sure that last night hadn't been a mistake. She didn't regret it, and wouldn't, but needed to know if she could have done it on her own._

_"If you want to stop, just tell me," he said, rubbing her cheek. "I won't be upset or angry or anything. Even if last night doesn't happy again for years, or ever, I will still be here for you. With you." She smiled at him and leaned in to begin her kissing again, thankful that she could tell Tenshi retreated from the forefront of her mind to leave her alone for this. She only stopped long enough for Naruto to ask if she needed to perform the birth control jutsu to stay safe. After telling him it lasted for thirty days, they continued._

The two had just finished, leaving Jiraiya both crying and thankful. Crying, because it had ended, and thankful of that because he only had two pages left with which to write. He already knew that he would use this for a completely new book. He wasn't sure of the exact plot, or what to call it, but there was no way he would use this in his current work, which he would have thought of as inferior if he hadn't written it, and had only one single scene left to finish it. He needed something strong for the ending, but he would not use this. His train of thought was brought to an end when he heard the girl, which he was now very sure was Hyuuga Hinata as Naruto felt the need to say it quite often, began to talk.

-------------------------

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata was resting over top the blanket in Naruto's strong arms, his jacket covering up her modesty. He looked down at her when he heard her say his name, his hand still brushing her hair lightly.

"Yes, Hinata-chan?" Naruto was slightly worried she would be upset that they had done this again, but that thought was laid to rest as he realized she wouldn't have just cuddled more securely into his arms.

"There are some things I feel I should tell you." Her right hand found it's way to his chest as she looked up into his curious, and slightly worried, face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how much do you remember about the mission from when you and Kyuubi switched places?" Naruto had absolutely no clue where the was going, but decided to play along to see.

"Well, when the jutsu hit me, I entered my mindscape, just like normal, only I was being forcibly into the Kyuubi's cage and he was sucked out of it and out of the room and into the halls. After that, my chakra reserves began to swell as they filled with his own chakra. Almost as soon as he was gone, there was so much pain that I only remember next waking up next to you in our room." He watched as she nodded, and then hugged him tightly to her.

"There was more than that that had happened. Remember about what I told you of Ino's mind jutsu?"

"Yes. It took away your inhibitions to let you do what you wanted to do, which led to you tieing me up in my room last night and everything that followed." Jiraiya's eyes widened to comical proportions when he heard this. He now only had one page left of his book.

"Well, she did that by taking my inhibitions and a few memories and tieing them up, so to speak, in my mind. Something like a fake memory where they all resided. Anyway, I already knew about the Kyuubi at that time and he knew that I knew. When he came out, he pretended to be you, though not convincingly, but enough for Sakura and Lee who attributed it to having just been hit by Kokoro's jutsu. After we got back to the house, he explained what had actually happened to you both, and said that you would die shortly if you weren't both put back where you belonged. You outside of the seal, and he within it." She looked at Naruto to see a rather shocked expression. Deciding not to give him a chance to ask questions, she continued.

"Ino's jutsu had given me the ability to go into your dreams at night, which I shouldn't have anymore now that she deactivated it, and that was how we met, and how I entered your mind the night we got back. He led me to where you were behind the seal, and said that he couldn't get you out and change places because he couldn't touch the seal, as it was made to contain him, so he asked me to be the bridge between it and him. I agreed and he sent himself through me and into the seal, which pushed you out. After that, he was back, you were out, and I was shaking off the pain of having him go through me like that. But doing that had a side effect because of Ino's jutsu." Naruto, after hearing about what Kyuubi did was beyond pissed that he'd hurt her, but after hearing about the side effect, quickly changed his tune to worry.

"What kind of side effect?"

"The fake memory and him going through me created another demon, who know is within me." At this, Naruto and Jiraiya both nearly feinted. Jiraiya, not even thinking of what it would mean to him to have two pissed off lovers who would know he watched if he came out and asked what she was talking about in having another demon nearly stepped out and ask just that before she continued.

"We came up with the name 'Tenshi' for her. She was created by my fake memories and several of Kyuubi's memories and she said she has about six or seven tails' worth of power. We aren't too sure as we haven't had a chance to test anything aside from me drawing a little of her power to see if I could. She appears to have a bit of a sadistic side in regards to Ino and Sakura, as we found out today that they watched us last night and-"

"WHAT!"

"Oh, do calm down. We'll get them back for it later."

"Er, okay." Naruto's eyes darted about as if looking for the two soon-to-be-dead kunoichi. Jiraiya nearly had a heart attack as Naruto's eyes passed over his own location. If it weren't for Hinata taking his attention, he may very well have been found out.

"Anyway, she said that she seems to be a combination of my own personality, which hers mostly consists of since it was created from my own, and a bit of Kyuubi's, partly due to the power from him and memories."

"And you are sure she doesn't want to hurt you or anything, right?" Jiraiya was wondering the same thing, as well as whether or not this could pose a threat, as she doesn't have a seal on herself to contain the new 'demon'.

"Yes. She is basically a part of me right now. We had spent a good deal of the day before and after meeting you talking and testing things between us. I can draw on her power, though I will only go up to two tails for now, and I can feel her emotions and such. Mostly, she seems to be like me, but with Kyuubi's personality for those who seem to speak ill of either of us, especially Ino and Sakura, and, since Ino put the fake memory near most of my memories of you, since you were what it was for, she got a good number of my memories of your pranks, meaning she's dieing to try out some of her own." Hinata could tell he was taking all of this well when he realized he'd have another accomplice in his pranking.

"So, how is she within you, but you not having a seal, like me?"

"Well, we talked about that. She said that she was a part of me, not just contained within me, because she was made up of parts of myself. So, what we have come up with is that she resides where she was created, which is my mind, though the majority of her seems to be behind my navel just like Kyuubi is with you, and such. We haven't tried to meet like you do with Kyuubi yet, though. She wanted us to talk about it first and get some ideas from you and how you do it before we try."

"We needn't worry about her taking me over or anything, either. I asked her to try to take control of my arm and she was unable to. She was able to send massive amounts of chakra there, but that was it. We've also found that she can heal me, much as Kyuubi heals you, though we don't know if it is as good, since neither of us wished for me to get as hurt as would be needed to test it, and we're thinking that, if we can meet together like you and Kyuubi, then maybe we could form a summoning contract for her and she can fight in battle." That concept surprised Naruto and Jiraiya both.

_'Hey, Kyuubi, could we do that for foxes and you?"_

**'Perhaps, Kit. But I could never come out in full power. It would have to be the equivilant of a Kage Bunshin, though it would be able to take and deal far more damage. I would have to think about how to make it work so that neither of us dies in the process.'**

_'Well, let me know what you think up, this could be an incredible trump card in battle. Who in their right minds would want to battle against the King of Demons?'_ The Kyuubi chuckled at the thought of coming out to play once in a while.

**'I will make it a top priority, if you're willing to agree to let me out to play every now and then, even if it is just to hunt some small game once in a while.'**

_'Deal.'_

-----------------------------------

Jiraiya wasn't sure what to do at this point. Naruto and Hinata had continued on for another hour, talking about the changes that had come about and what they could figure out from speaking with both Kyuubi and Tenshi. Hinata had explained the changes she experienced when she drew on Tenshi's chakra, the physical changes, that her Byakugan hyper-activated and how much it was different and more powerful, the speed and such. She told him she would show it to him when they practiced, rather that right then, which Jiraiya was very thankful for. If her Byakugan had hyper-activated and he was there, he doubted he'd have been able to get away from both of them. The reports of Naruto's new speed meant that he had very little chance even without using Kyuubi's chakra, and he knew, very well, that Naruto would probably do just that.

It was when they were getting dressed and smiling at each other that Jiraiya realized he'd have to report this to Tsunade, which was something he really felt would get him a good trip through one of her walls or windows. After the two were dressed, Hinata snuggled up to Naruto, who wrapped his arms around her and they watched the stars with Naruto's little lights dancing around the glade they were in. Seeing the girl sigh and snuggle her way into Naruto's embrace further, Jiraiya knew what his new book would be: _Icha Icha Kitsune_. He knew he would need to stick around and follow them for more ... research, and figure out what had happened, exactly, with their latest mission. He'd have to see about getting a hold of those two girls, also.

----------------------------------

The Jiraiya clone was still running for his life. He'd managed to hide the notebook where he'd taken all of the notes of Sakura and Lee's escapade nearly thirty minutes ago. Right now, however, he was in a Henge to look like Kakashi and running from one rabid, pink-haired girl and one boy who he could swear was truly a demon. The girl he only worried about because the boy kept leaving signs for her to follow, since she was nowhere near as fast, though her strength was as bad as the woman who trained her. The boy, however, was fast enough to stay only seconds behind the clone as he ran. The only reason he knew the notes were safe was because the boy was putting his clothes on at the time he'd hidden them.

The notes were definitely worth it, however. He'd known they would be when he heard the girl tell the boy not to fight back. From there, she took control over literally everything. She initiated what had to have been the most incredible game of controlling submissiveness he had ever seen. She had complete control over the boy's actions, but let herself be controlled by his own actions. She just made she he did what she wanted. He was able to tell that both were still new to everything they were doing, hesitant in their actions, clumsy motions and such, but the girl seemed to know what she was supposed to do. She'd apparently either seen it done or read about it quite a bit. It was with these thoughts and as things progressed, rather quickly, that he scribbled as furiously as possible, making sure to get as much as possible for his creator.

It was also because both of them found release very quickly that he'd realized they were still new at everything. He still had several pages to fill and was upset that he hadn't been able to write faster. Unfortunately, he forgot to repress his chakra and muffle his frustrations, which alerted the two new lovers to his presense. It was at that point that he realized he was screwed. He took off as fast as possible, immediately changing into Kakashi. Moments later, he hid the notes, making sure to commit the location to memory so his creator could get it if he couldn't stay around long enough to tell him more.

So now, he was running through town, trying to get to his hotel so he could hide out. He turned yet another corner when he heard something horrible.

"KONOHA SENPUU!" A bare foot found it's way towards the clones face, ending it's existence in a cloud of smoke. Lee dropped to the ground and watched as the wind blew the smoke away, leaving nothing in it's wake. A few moments later, he was found by Sakura.

"Did you get him?"

"Yes, but it was a Kage Bunshin." That statement brought out Sakura's fury as she ranted about killing her perverted ex-sensei.

--------------------------------

Jiraiya startled slightly when he got the backlash of memories from his Kage Bunshin. Thankfully, he only jerked his head, which wasn't enough to alert the two in front of him. What he got from his clone brought a smile to his face. His notes were safe and sound and needed only for him to retrieve them. Even more, he had several new memories to pass the time while he waited for the two in front of him to finish holding each other and Naruto to take Hinata home for the evening.

_'I am so glad that I thought of the perfect patsy for my research. I'm sure he'll want to thank me for it tomorrow after Pinky gets a hold of him."_ He was barely able to maintain his laughter when he realised what she would do to him.

----------------------------------

Naruto and Hinata both enjoyed their date immensely. After gently and slowly making love, Hinata confirmed that she was ready and willing to stay with him. She would have done so anyway, now that she had him, but she now knew that she could and was changing into who and what she wanted to be, just like both Naruto and Tenshi said she could. Once they had done that, they held each other and watched the stars and Naruto's chakra lights as they danced in the air. They laid back, enjoying each other's warmth and comfort. Hinata couldn't think of a better feeling than Naruto's arms around her, his thumbs slowly rubbing her bare arms gently. She loved being able to hear his heart thump in it's slow rhythm. It was a steady reminder that the now was really happening.

After twenty minutes of simply holding each other, Naruto realized how late it was finally getting and sighed.

"We've got to get you home or your dad may start sending out people to look for you." Naruto smiled as she squeezed him to her and made a quiet pouting sound.

"I suppose." She leaned back and stood from his embrace, missing the warmth already. "Would you like to meet up tomorrow?"

"Of course," he said, sounding almost insulted that he wouldn't. "Want to meet at Ichiraku's for lunch?"

"That sounds nice. After all of the changes and with things with the Hyuuga Elders, I may not be able to make it, so if I'm not there, that will be why. I'll try to let you know if I won't be able to make it." Naruto nodded, well aware that the Elders were a pain in the ass.

"Well, if they give you any problems, get out of there and let me know. I'll kill 'em for you." Even with his cheeky grin, she knew he wasn't really kidding.

"That won't be necassary. They agreed to my terms the last time I fought with Hanabi. If they back out now, they would lose their positions as Elders, and I would have clan law on my side to kill them if they tried anything. With Tenshi's help, I won't have to worry." Naruto growled his own frustration, but knew that she'd have to handle whatever came about. He'd make sure to be there for her whenever she needed it though.

Naruto deactivated the chakra lights and they both took off towards town, hand in hand. Jiraiya waited a few minutes and then followed at a slower pace. He just kept them in sight so he'd have a good way to end this scene when written. Several minutes later, they were in town and headed towards the Hyuuga compound.

"What do you think your dad will say when he finds out we're dating?" This was something had Naruto worried. Many of the Hyuuga would follow Hiashi's example, but some certainly wouldn't. He knew it was too much to hope that he'd be completely for it, but he hoped that he'd allow Hinata her reward for defeating her sister.

"He knows already, and has no problems with it, though I think he may be a little hesitant for now, I don't think he will mind after having a little time to think it over. I only told him this morning before heading over to Ino's to deliver the Enura jutsu scroll."

"Thank Kami for little miracles, after all. But, can you tell me about what Ino and Sakura saw? Or, maybe heard?" Naruto was hoping beyond everything that they hadn't heard their conversation.

"They said they saw 'everything'. I don't believe they heard anything about Fuzzy because they never brought it up. That is one of those things that I think they would have wanted to talk about first." Naruto had to admit the likelihood of that.

"True, true. So what do we want to do to get back at them?" Hinata gave a rather feral grin that sent a chill down his spine.

"Tenshi and I were thinking of several things, actually. We decided just one thing wouldn't do, and came up with a couple of ideas. My favourite, so far, is to Henge into them and take some compromising photos." She allowed for a brief pause before smiling again. "Well, a lot of photos, actually." Naruto laughed for several seconds before responding.

"I like that idea. We'll need to come up with others. That one in particular we can use as assurance they won't try to get us in trouble for the pranks. We weren't publicly humiliated, so we should try to keep it simple, but continuous." Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Good point. I just don't like that they watched us."

"Neither do I, but we should take a couple of days to think things over."

"Alright. We also need to get together and work on training. You, because of your new reserves and body so you can become accustomed to it and me so I can work with Tenshi and try things out."

"That'll work. My chakra control is actually much better now than it was previously. Fuzzy said its because my chakra changed slightly and because my pathways refined or something like that. So I don't need to worry about that. By speed, strength and such, you're totally right on. One thing I noticed, though, is that my chakra is more refined. I can use the same amount and it does more. I don't know if its my different chakra or if I just think I'm using the same amount when I'm not, but I need to practice with that."

"We'll have to test it out and see. I just need to practice with Tenshi's chakra and learn how much is too much and such. The power is incredible and I can't help but think a lot of my jutsu will be overkill until I practice with it." She shot a glare at Naruto when he snickered, making him wince.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, putting his hands up in a placating gesture. "But you're right. When I draw on Fuzzy's power, everything is more powerful." Hinata nodded, pleased he wasn't laughing at her.

"Well, we'll practice some later and see what happens," Hinata stated as they came to the compound's gates where two branch members stood guard, watching as their favourite family member from the Main house walked up, hand in hand, with Uzumaki Naruto.

"Good night, Hinata-chan. I'll go to Ichiraku's at noon and wait for you until one, which is usually when I leave anyway." Naruto scratched the back of his head as he offered an embarrassed smile with the last bit, making Hinata giggle. The two Branch members' eyes widened as they heard her. Everyone in the Hyuuga knew about Hinata's bet and how she won the right to marry whomever she chose, and it appeared they just learned who it was. It was further confirmed when she leaned in and kissed him deeply. Pulling back, Hinata smiled beautifully at him.

"I'll be there unless the Elders get upset about everything. Good night, Naruto-kun." She stepped back with a smile as Naruto turned and took off into the shadows of Konoha. Once he was out of sight, she turned and walked up to the guards.

"I'd like you to let all of the guards know that Uzumaki Naruto has my permission to enter into the compound at any time, Renji-san." The guard she spoke to came out of his shock and nodded to the girl who was his superior.

"As you wish, Hyuuga-sama. However," he winced as he saw her eyes narrow. Hinata was one of the few Main members who they knew would never use the seal on their foreheads to cause them pain, but she'd never been this assertive, either. "However, Hyuuga-sama, as you mentioned to Uzumaki-san, what if the Elders command otherwise? We would gladly allow him entrance, but cannot defy their orders, even over your own."

"Then do not allow him entrance. The Elders are likely to use your seals if they feel you will disobey them, and that would not be worth it. Just let Naruto-kun know that it was their orders. He will be upset about it, but understand your position. And besides, once Father tells them that he and I plan to wed, they will have no choice but to allow him entrance, or die." At her last sentence, their eyes went wide.

"Y-you already plan to wed him?" Hinata had no problems with the lack of honorifics, but their shock forced a giggle out of her.

"Not any time too soon, of course. But my intentions are to be known to them." She waved a hand dismissively. "I doubt he would be as upset as many boys his age, but I would rather not tempt anything by saying we would marry soon. We know each other well, but marriage is a bit much as of right now. His desire to have a family would probably be the only thing keeping him from running and screaming." She smiled as she said the last part, causing the two guards to laugh with her.

"The Branch family wishes you luck with your soon-to-be jittery friend, then, Hinata-sama." The change of name was the only sign most in the Branch family would use to show that they truly respected her. It was also that respect that would not allow them anything less than that. It was also partly that if word got back to the Elders, then it would be very likely that their seals would be activated to teach them their lack of respect to any Main branch member would not be tolerated.

"Thank you," she said earnestly. With that, she made her way into the compound and to her room for a good night's rest. She knew she'd need it.

------------------------------

Lee and Sakura had walked very slowly to Sakura's apartment. It wasn't really the running after the Kakashi-look a like that made them do it, but running after him like that after having just having sex to a very energetic Lee caused her a touch more pain than she would have liked. Lee, noticing how she had been walking, had been very apologetic, dismissing her claims that she would be fine after a night's rest. She was barely able to keep him from carrying her all the way back to her apartment. She would have healed herself if Lee hadn't been watching her like a hawk and she didn't want to confirm anything that would make him worry even more. It wasn't overly painful anymore, just aching.

"Please, Sakura-chan, I'm sorry that I caused you-"

"Really, Lee, it isn't that big of a deal. It just aches a little for a girl after her first time. I'll be perfectly fine by morning. A day of my normal physical workout causes me more pain than this. Its just never been centered around there, so I'm not used to it, kind of like working a very rarely used muscle." It did, of course, hurt a little more than that, but he didn't have to know that and once inside, she'd be able to take care of the pain. She could only imagine how Hinata had to have felt after her time with Naruto. It was well-known how much stamina that boy had, and not only that, he was a bit larger than Lee, which had to have made a difference.

Lee, not totally convinced, had walked with her all the way to her apartment building and she nearly had to fight her way in without him.

"Lee, let's meet up for lunch tomorrow, okay?" She was happy her plan to distract him did just that. She'd had a feeling that he was worried she wouldn't want to be with him any more because she was hurting. A plan to see him the next day meant there was nothing to worry about.

"Yes, Sakura-chan! Perhaps dango?" Sakura smiled at him and nodded. Taking that as a good sign, Lee gave her his usual nice-guy pose, shiny teeth and all, before turning to go to his own home, feeling much better now. Sakura watched him go before sighing and shutting the door. She immediately went to her couch and began working on herself to dull the ache.

"That pervert is going to burn for this," she growled. After getting rid of most of the pain, since most of what she felt wasn't actually broken to heal, she went to her bathroom to take a long, hot bath, mumbling about perverts and castration the whole way.

-------------------------------

Jiraiya picked up his clone's notebook and put both in a safe and secure place. With what he was planning on telling Tsunade, he didn't want any trace of those notebooks on him. Information like this couldn't be left to chance with Tsunade. Once done, he took off towards the Hokage Tower. She'd be in her private quarters, still mostly sober. After arriving, he went up to the offices and spoke with the guards, finding she was indeed still there.

"We recommend you be careful, Jiraiya-sama. She got to her sake a little early tonight with Shizune's duties in the hospitol." A sliver of fear ran down his spine as he realized she could be a very angry woman during his report.

"I'll, uh, remember that..." With that, he opened the door and quickly went in, stepping to the side in case she threw anything at the interloper.

"What do you want, Jiraiya?" Tsunade was actually in a good mood, which was probably the only reason that Jiraiya had a snowball's chance in hell of getting out of there in one piece. Shizune had helped her with the paper work on her desk, bringing her up to date on everything earlier the day before. She was so happy, she even did all of her paper work she'd recieved that day, allowing her to get off early and start her sake early. It was a win-win situation all around. Then the pervert had to show up.

"I have some news about your otouto and his new girlfriend, Tsunade-hime." This news brought a very large grin across her face.

"Sit, then, and tell me all about her! I didn't even know you were back in town." Jiraiya watched as she happily poured two cups of sake and plopped into her seat. "Well?" She more demanded than asked.

"Oh, I will, but you have to hear everything before you interrupt me, agreed?" He watched as her eyes narrowed, but she agreed nonetheless.

"Fine, but you'd better not leave anything out," she growled. "And start with her name."

"Okay, well, then her name is Hyuuga Hinata," he shuddered as she grinned evilly.

"Good! They each deserve someone like the other." Jiraiya ignored the interruption, glad she was happy so far to bother tempting the fates.

"There's more, don't worry. Now, it seemed they officially started dating today, though they seemed to have actually gotten together last night, though it wasn't official until today. Anyway-"

"Jiraiya, get to the point." Tsunade knew something was up. Jiraiya was far too nervous for whatever he was trying to tell her. He sighed and then nodded.

"Alright, alright. From what I've been able to gather so far, about two weeks ago, Yamanaka Ino performed some kind of technique on Hinata that altered her perceptions a bit so that she wouldn't be as scared of herself when she was around Naruto."

Tsunade had only one thought as Jiraiya began his story with those words, _'Oh shit...'_ So Jiraiya told her everything from what he'd overheard about the mind technique on how Hinata told Naruto, though it was obvious it was a recap over what she'd already told him the night before, and then what he'd learned of the mission and the two together, then about the previous night and what he'd learned about the two tonight. Throughout the entire telling, he became more and more nervous as she didn't seem to show any overt reaction to anything he was telling her. She actually smiled when he told her about Naruto seeming to enjoy having been tied up the previous night and when he told her about his obvious concern for Hinata's well-being when he told her he would wait if she wasn't comfortable after the jutsu wore off.

"So, let me get this straight. Because of the Yamanaka's jutsu, Hinata attempted to rape my otouto, only not doing so because he was a willing participant, they dated tonight after she had the jutsu removed, and then they had sex again."

"Yes," Jiraiya answered. After about one second, he realized where she was going with this. He wouldn't know about tonight's adventure unless he was 'researching'. Noticing her face beginning to redden for her to yell, he rushed to preempt it with the rest of what he learned.

"But there was a reason that I was there." He just didn't actually know about it until the end. With a red face and obviously barely-controlled rage, she asked him why.

"Well, in your letter to me, you told me that Naruto and the Kyuubi switched places. What you didn't tell me was how they were changed back. Just that Kyuubi called him."

"That was how Naruto described it!"

"Well, from what the two told each other, Kyuubi could have stayed out, but it would have sent out a chakra backlash so strong that it would have killed everyone and destroyed the town they were in. Kyuubi went back in to keep that from happening and to keep Naruto from dieing due to the chakra filling him up and destroying him. Naruto still had his normal-sized reserves, but the seal was designed to house Kyuubi's chakra reserves." He noticed her wince as she realized what he meant.

"Anyway, Kyuubi, even from the outside, couldn't touch the seal. He used Hinata as a bridge and-"

"Wait! She knows about Kyuubi now!" She gave him a curious look as he gestured for her to calm down.

"Yes, and she doesn't care. She also knows to keep it secret. There's more though."

"Oh, sweet Kami," she groused as she sat down with her head in her hands. Jiraiya began to explain as much as he could about what Hinata had told Naruto about Tenshi. To say Tsunade was upset was an understatement. She was furious, more at her own confusion than anything else.

"That's basically all there is, as far as I can tell." By this time, Tsunade had finished off her sake, along with a whole other bottle.

"Well, at least we can say they're definitely made for each other." Jiraiya snorted his own agreement.

"That they are."

"Well, this explains a lot about Hiashi's desire to see me tomorrow. I assume he's going to want to try and talk me into telling Naruto to stay away from Hinata." Tsunade sat back in her seat with a huff, trying to figure out what Naruto could have done in a past life to deserve everything he was getting in his life.

"Quite the contrary, I would say. From what Hinata told Naruto when he was escorting her home, she said he's actually for the relationship rather than against it." Jiraiya chuckled at the face Tsunade made with that remark.

"Well, that's surprising, and a relief. I guess I'll see what he wants without putting up too much of a fight, then. I've got to at least argue a little, though, since it'll make the others feel I'm getting soft if I don't." Jiraiya laughed as Tsunade pulled out another bottle of sake. He was silently hoping she'd stay in a good mood as she got drunk. All he needed would be one alluring look from her to allow him to die happy. He knew she wouldn't go to the hot springs for a few days while she knew he was in town.

---------------------------------------

"That's your problem, Kakashi! He was seen by several villagers today and you're the one who lost the bet!" Anko took another bite of her dango as Kakashi hung his head in shame. They were currently in one of the Jounin bars, where only Jounin rank and ANBU rank ninja are allowed to enter. He'd been arguing for the past three hours with Anko that he hadn't really lost the bet, but they both knew he had, and she was never going to let him off that easily.

"Anko, I'm telling you, that first day doesn't-"

"Oh, yes it does!" One of the ANBU to the side of Kakashi piped up. It was a Panda-masked ANBU that had formerly been one of Kakashi's subordinates who was thrilled with the concept of watching Kakashi doing this. She was even going to make sure she had a camera to spread the memorable event. Someone who openly read those perverted books of his deserved some karmic retribution in his life, and this was going to be it.

"She's right, Kakashi. You lost, and now you've got to pay up. Tomorrow, we're going to find Jiraiya, and you're going to pose for him!" Anko's fiendish smirk frightened a few of the seasoned Jounin around them, and terrified those who weren't. If only she knew what Kakashi had planned, she would have been more willing to think about letting him off the hook.

"Fine. But just remember, that I'm a sore loser." With that, he began to read his dirty orange book as he walked out the door, leaving an unperturbed Anko in his wake.

"Don't worry about him, Anko-san. What can he really do?" The Panda-masked ANBU asked.

"Probably nothing! Ha! Bartender! Another round for me and my accomplice in villiany and some more dango!" The pudgy man behind the bar jumped to attention at her call.

"Yes, Anko-sama!"

"Come on, Panda. Let's get plastered!" The two women, one known, the other not, began to see who could out drunk the other, neither knowing how much the other had already had.

--------------------------------------

The next morning arrived bright and early for Hinata once again. This time, however, she was awakened by one of the Branch family members who had orders from her father.

"Good morning, Hyuuga-sama. Your father requests your presence after you have finished your morning rituals."

"Thank you, Awai-san. I should be there in half an hour." The Branch family member bowed and turned to leave, but before opening the door, she turned to Hinata with a smile.

"And congratulations with Uzumaki-san. He's very cute." Both girls giggled, with Awai schooling her features as the door opened so as not to seem improper in the halls where the other Main family members could walk. The whole Branch side of the Hyuuga now knew of Hinata's interest in Naruto, and only a very few were upset about it. Most were thrilled, knowing Hinata could see who a person truly was and would only accept him if he were truly a good person. It was her acceptance that converted many of those who accepted him now. Knowing she wanted to marry him, most would do whatever they could to allow her that.

Hinata finished her morning duties quickly and efficiently. She barely felt any discomfort this morning in comparison to the one before. She wasn't sure if it was because they didn't do it as many times, or because she was no longer a virgin, but whichever the case was, she was both happy and sad about it. She rather enjoyed having it as a reminder, though it was something that she would rather not have to deal with after every time. She was thinking about that very thing until she found herself in front of her father's office where she knocked to allow Hiashi to know she was there.

"Enter." Hinata went in and sat at the single pillow in front of her father.

"You wished to see me, Father?" Hiashi allowed himself a small smile, seeing his daughter still with a sense of purpose and confident.

"Yes, Hinata. I thought you would like to know the result of my discussion with the Elders." He was slightly surprised as she looked him in the eye and nodded, waiting for an answer without looking away. Clearing his throat in nervousness, which he decided not to notice, he continued.

"As you could probably guess, they were against it." He was slightly surprised to see her eyes narrow and feel a little killer intent fill the air. "However, as you made a bet with them, and won it, they have no choice in the matter. They thought to use," he paused a moment to smile at the name, "ahem, 'Fuzzy', as a means to say it couldn't be done. However, I told them you already knew and that bringing it up, regardless, would have been treason. It was then that they said he should be killed for breaking the law before being reminded that he was exempt from it." Hiashi could tell that Hinata was not thrilled with the way they kept coming up to his death.

"I know you weren't keen on me using them as arguments, but I felt it was needed at the time. I explained precisely what you told me about his stamina, chakra reserves and the idea of having 'Fuzzy'," again, he smiled at the name, "in our family. When I mentioned that it could potentially make our Byakugan stronger, they changed their opinions rather quickly."

"So they agree to allow me to marry him?" Hinata wasn't a fool. She was taught this game from her birth. He had yet to actually come right out and say that they had agreed. It was only because she was watching him so intently that she noticed him flinch, even if it was only his eyes.

"Not outright. They feel that, since it is Uzumaki-san, and because of 'Fuzzy', that you should be put through one more trial in order to allow it. They feel that the work that would be necassary to maintain our public image after announcing that you and he would be engaged would be too great for simply beating your sister, though I feel part of it may be that they were so angry that you had been holding back and they now have no clue where you stand in regards to your power." He was rather shaken when his eldest daughter, Hinata, the girl who was always so very timid and caring, gave what was one of the most feral and bloodthirsty smiles he had ever seen. Perhaps it was the fact that it was on her own face, or that it was truly that frightening, but whatever the cause, Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan, scooted back and away from the daughter he once thought would lose to an Academy student only one month ago.

"They have absolutely no idea what Naruto-kun has taught me. I would take the challenge against anyone they wish, so long as I don't have to kill whoever it is and they agree. I will tell you right now that if anyone is forced into this, I will make sure that whoever it is that forced them is punished for it." Hinata was furious that they would change their agreement, but it could be used to her favor if she approached it properly. But she still had to make sure that anyone that she fought did so willingly.

"I don't see any reason that those terms can't be accepted." Hiashi was rather surprised she'd agreed so readily to the change. She could have easily fought it and say that she had already won. "Why do you not fight it and say that you have already won the right to marry him if you so choose? You could easily contest it." He again found himself in front of that Anko-like smirk.

"Because, I am going to have my own conditions. If they wish to change it, then they can say nothing of me doing the same." This time, both smiled.

"You've learned well. So, what will your terms be, then?"

"I'm debating with it, myself. Either to start my own clan, with Naruto-kun," she ignored the widening of his eyes at such a thought. To a Hyuuga, that was like saying you wished to give up on your family and heritage, "and leave Hanabi as the heir, with neither of us recieving the cursed seal, or that everything remains as it is, but Hanabi will not recieve the cursed seal and none of either of our descendents recieved the seal. Depending on who they make me fight, I will know which I should be able to get away with. I am going to attempt the second option, regardless, as I can always leave when I choose at that point, and the second one otherwise. They already cannot make Hanabi the heir unless she is again able to defeat me, and I can assure you that cannot happen unless it has been rigged in her favour." Hiashi was more than surprised at this point. He was outright shocked. She had apparently suspected something like this, or she was much better at political planning than he had given her credit for.

"You've thought about this, I take it?" Hinata nodded, deciding not to tell him about Tenshi for now and that both of those ideas had come from her as soon as they had heard him talk about another duel. There was only one thing they needed to test and that was a recreation of Naruto's fight with Neji during the first Chuunin exams after Neji had closed off all of Naruto's tenketsu, thereby stopping him from using any chakra, except the Kyuubi's.

**"Kitten, now would be as good a time as any to see if we can do so, and he is really the only one we can be willing to allow to help us. Anyone else may use the information against us and I sense he truly wishes for your happiness."**

_'Alright, Tenshi.'_

"I have, but there is one thing I need to test to see if I can back my theories up. Would you be willing to help me?" Hiashi wasn't sure what to do. Of course he would help her, but he didn't know what Naruto could have taught her that would allow her to seemingly not care who she faught against. It was almost as though she suspected she could fight any Hyuuga and get out of it successful.

"If I can, yes. I don't know, nor will I know, who they wish for you to fight until we go to do so, but I suppose I can help train you if you would like." Hinata shook her head.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I want you to close all of my tenketsu. I think I have a way to reopen them." Rather than be shocked, he decided to sigh and chuckle.

"That doesn't even surprise me. Very well. When would you like to perform this test?"

"Right now, though away from where someone may be able to witness it. If it works, I will tell you the secret that I have about what I learned from Naruto-kun." Hiashi nodded and motioned for her to follow him. She did so, going down several different hallways to the Head's suite. They continued to the end of the hall, even though there were no other doors. At the end, he activated his Byakugan to make sure no one else was around and, in so doing, noticed Hinata's new status.

"Hinata!" He turned towards her in fury and spoke in a harsh whisper, still not wanting anyone to come or hear what he found out. "You are no longer a virgin!" He wasn't sure why, but she only looked at him as though he were a fool.

"Of course not. The night before last, I went to Naruto's to rape him and-" Hiashi cut her off as he tried to splutter out a why.

"You- he- rape- virgin- what!" Hinata waved a hand dismissively at him, fighting like hell not to blush or panic. She had begun to tell the same story she told Ino and Sakura without thinking and it brought her to her current dilemma. It was only Tenshi's encouragement that allowed her to maintain her composure.

"Oh, do stop sputtering. It doesn't become a Hyuuga," that did the trick, "as I was saying, I went there to rape him, but he kept telling me I couldn't because no one was allowed to love him. That was when I told him I knew about the Kyuubi. I still had him tied up, but he wasn't fighting against it quite so badly any more." She couldn't wait for her father to close her tenketsu. At this point, the pain would be preferable to speaking so casually about such a thing to her father. "Anyway, he accepted me and I have always accepted him and there is nothing more to worry about. If the Elders question my virtue, I plan on telling them that my hymen was broken during training, though I may tell them the truth just to watch their reactions." In truth, she didn't want to even discuss it with them, but saying that was Tenshi's idea, and it came out before she actually paid attention to what she was told to say.

"Anyway, where are we going?" She really wanted to stop talking about sex with her father. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally shaking his head and turning around.

"I don't want to end up a grandparent before you're married," he muttered. "Anyway, this room is the private sanctuary of the Head of the Hyuuga. It is only shown to the next Head and I believe you will be, so I take you here now. It has seals to keep the Byakugan from penetrating it. We can practice in here." He performed several handseals and placed his hand to the wall, where a very large seal formed on the wall before disappearing, leavintg the wall slightly submerged onto the floor. Hiashi pushed against it to open the doorway where they both entered. Inside was a huge room filled with scrolls in the back half, a small, open study in the corner to the right and the rest open space with a single table with a couple chairs.

"This holds the most important Hyuuga texts. Ones that are far too important to leave around for just anyone to get a hold of. You will never mention this room to any others. Understood?" At her agreement, he motioned to move the table back so they would have room. Once done, she stepped back and held herself open for the attack.

"Ready?" At her nod, he rushed forward, not even bothering to call out the attack, and closed each tenketsu. In retrospect, telling her father, just before he was going to shove chakra into her tenketsu, that she had all but raped the boy she planned to marry was a bad idea. He used a little more chakra than was probably needed. On his last attack, she fell backwards and onto her back, coughing. Through the pain, she stood up, albeit slowly. Once done, she attempted to mold any chakra and found it was beyond her.

"Alright. I'm going to try and reopen them now." This was what Hiashi was waiting for. If she could do it, then she would have succeeded in something that no Hyuuga before her had been able to do. In fact, the only one who could was Uzumaki Naruto, and even then, few knew exactly what he'd done beyond use the Kyuubi's chakra.

Hinata decided to use the same seal that Naruto had used, since she knew that he was successful with it. Once she began, she realized nothing was happening, so she tried harder, still getting nothing. Finally she tried to mold as much of Tenshi's chakra as she could, being told from her inner friend that she was succeeding, just not enough with the first two tries. The last one, however, she succeeded in pulling out Tenshi's chakra. One tail's worth of power rushing through her body, hyperactivating her Byakugan and opening every one of her closed tenketsu. Her body went through the same changes she had gone through the first time she drew on Tenshi's power. The only difference this time, however, was that Tenshi restricted her as soon as she accessed it to keep her from pulling more than a single tail of power since she was trying so hard. Without a seal like Naruto, she could pull on it all, but they didn't know yet what the results would be.

Hiashi was beyond shocked at his daughter. He could tell that it wasn't her normal chakra radiating off of her. This chakra was such a pale blue that it was nearly white with the outside edges, along with what appeared to be a tail swaying behind her, seemed to actually be a rainbow of colours. He couldn't help but think of looking at light through crystal. Then, with his Byakugan active, he was able to tell how her finger nails elongated and her eyes changed, giving her a blue iris and her teeth became a little more pointed. Her hair even seemed to lengthen some. All in all, he was terrified of what his daughter may have become. A few seconds after it had started, however, it ended suddenly. She released Tenshi's power as it was no longer needed.

"Well, that was more painful than I thought it would be." She moved over to the table and sat at the chair next to it, motioning for her father to do the same. "I suppose you would like answers now?" Hiashi sat and nodded, still silent from what he'd witnessed. He had seen those changes in Naruto and knew about their cause. He had no clue as to why it was happening with Hinata.

"Why did you go through similar changes as Uzumaki? I know why he goes through them, but why you?" Hinata sighed and began to relate everything to her father. The only things she left out were the details to their having sex and anything sexual from the night before, though she did mention the date and what Naruto had done with his chakra for her to enjoy. By the end of it, he was shocked, proud, furious and completely lost.

"As you can assume, I would rather the Elders not know about this for now, though I will attribute the power to Naruto having taught me to pull chakra from another place and that the physical changes are a manifestation of what I believe to be a worthy guardian. In other words, I see him pull massive amounts of chakra from within himself and see him take these changes and think of foxes as powerful creatures. It isn't totally a lie, since Tenshi is a kitsune, and she is where the power comes from. It just isn't the whole truth." Hiashi knew exactly what he was going to talk about with Tsunade when he spoke with her later that day. He did, however, pity whatever fool the Elders decided to pit against her.

"They will not find out from me, though I do feel Tsunade-sama should know about this." Hinata took only a second to think before agreeing.

"I suppose that makes sense. I'll tell her later. I've got to deal with the Elders for now and meet Naruto-kun for lunch."

Together, Father and Daughter left the private sanctuary and went to their respective tasks to get their days started.

hr 

Apologies for this being so late as well. My work is still looking for another 80 people to fire and they pay quite well... , Also, I've re-done this chapter more times than I cared to keep track of. I couldn't find a way to do the Inner Hinata in a way I was happy with, since she wasn't a part of my original story line, which I liked, I wasn't sure how to fit it in, and that threw me for a loop. I just liked the idea too much to give up on. Instead of doing an Inner Hinata, like Sakura, I decided on an Inner Demon, more like Naruto, as you can tell. I didn't originally want to use this, because I had the idea for another Naruto fic, but decided this would be a good way to get someone else's idea on if they like Tenshi or not. I had originally just wanted Hinata to realize how she was able to change simply because she had more confidence, which allowed her to become the kind of person she always wanted to be. You can all thank DragonMan180 (there may have been spaces between the two words and number) for mentioning the idea for an "Inner Sakura type thing" or however he phrased it. It pushed me over the edge. This chapter is twice as long as my usual ones, so at least there is that, eh? o.o


	10. Paths Entwined Roots Discovered

[A/N: - Explanation for tardiness at the end of chapter if you're curious.

-------------

PREVIOUSLY

-------------

_"Ready?" At her nod, he rushed forward, not even bothering to call out the attack, and closed each tenketsu. In retrospect, telling her father, just before he was going to shove chakra into her tenketsu, that she had all but raped the boy she planned to marry was a bad idea. He used a little more chakra than was probably needed. On his last attack, she fell backwards and onto her back, coughing. Through the pain, she stood up, albeit slowly. Once done, she attempted to mold any chakra and found it was beyond her._

_"Alright. I'm going to try and reopen them now." This was what Hiashi was waiting for. If she could do it, then she would have succeeded in something that no Hyuuga before her had been able to do. In fact, the only one who could was Uzumaki Naruto, and even then, few knew exactly what he'd done beyond use the Kyuubi's chakra._

_Hinata decided to use the same seal that Naruto had used, since she knew that he was successful with it. Once she began, she realized nothing was happening, so she tried harder, still getting nothing. Finally she tried to mold as much of Tenshi's chakra as she could, being told from her inner friend that she was succeeding, just not enough with the first two tries. The last one, however, she succeeded in pulling out Tenshi's chakra. One tail's worth of power rushing through her body, hyper activating her Byakugan and opening every one of her closed tenketsu. Her body went through the same changes she had gone through the first time she drew on Tenshi's power. The only difference this time, however, was that Tenshi restricted her as soon as she accessed it to keep her from pulling more than a single tail of power since she was trying so hard. Without a seal like Naruto, she could pull on it all, but they didn't know yet what the results would be._

_Hiashi was beyond shocked at his daughter. He could tell that it wasn't her normal chakra radiating off of her. This chakra was such a pale blue that it was nearly white with the outside edges, along with what appeared to be a tail swaying behind her, seemed to actually be a rainbow of colours. He couldn't help but think of looking at light through crystal. Then, with his Byakugan active, he was able to tell how her finger nails elongated and her eyes changed, giving her a blue iris and her teeth became a little more pointed. Her hair even seemed to lengthen some. All in all, he was terrified of what his daughter may have become. A few seconds after it had started, however, it ended suddenly. She released Tenshi's power as it was no longer needed._

_"Well, that was more painful than I thought it would be." She moved over to the table and sat at the chair next to it, motioning for her father to do the same. "I suppose you would like answers now?" Hiashi sat and nodded, still silent from what he'd witnessed. He had seen those changes in Naruto and knew about their cause. He had no clue as to why it was happening with Hinata._

_"Why did you go through similar changes as Uzumaki? I know why he goes through them, but why you?" Hinata sighed and began to relate everything to her father. The only things she left out were the details to their having sex and anything sexual from the night before, though she did mention the date and what Naruto had done with his chakra for her to enjoy. By the end of it, he was shocked, proud, furious and completely lost._

_"As you can assume, I would rather the Elders not know about this for now, though I will attribute the power to Naruto having taught me to pull chakra from another place and that the physical changes are a manifestation of what I believe to be a worthy guardian. In other words, I see him pull massive amounts of chakra from within himself and see him take these changes and think of foxes as powerful creatures. It isn't totally a lie, since Tenshi is a kitsune, and she is where the power comes from. It just isn't the whole truth." Hiashi knew exactly what he was going to talk about with Tsunade when he spoke with her later that day. He did, however, pity whatever fool the Elders decided to pit against her._

_"They will not find out from me, though I do feel Tsunade-sama should know about this." Hinata took only a second to think before agreeing. _

_"I suppose that makes sense. I'll tell her later. I've got to deal with the Elders for now and meet Naruto-kun for lunch."_

_Together, Father and Daughter left the private sanctuary and went to their respective tasks to get their days started._

-------------

ON WITH THE STORY! RAWR!

-------------

Uzumaki Naruto was in a great mood. He'd left Hinata the night before, after reaffirming their relationship and had gone to his home in excellent spirits. Even after Ino's mind jutsu was taken off, she still cared for him. He would even be willing to say she loved him, even if she didn't say it herself since then.

Currently, he was eating his ramen after having taken his shower and was thinking about what this could truly mean for his life. All of yesterday, he had been thinking of nothing else aside from the date with Hinata that she had told him to ask her out on. Now that it was over, he was actually sitting still and taking the time to think about how things would have to change. This meant he was no longer alone and everything he did didn't only affect him now. It would affect her. The missions he went on, the way he acted to the public eye; even his own dream of becoming Hokage would affect her.

It was remembering his own dream that he realized she would have her own dreams as well, and that they would affect him. Frowning, he realized he didn't truly know what her own dream was. He knew she wanted to change herself. She wanted to be someone that her family, her father, could be proud of. At least, that had been her dream at one time, a few years ago. But had it changed? Aside for some unknown reason of apparently loving him, he couldn't think of any reason that she wasn't already that. She was powerful, even more so now with Tenshi. She was beautiful, intelligent, aside from having fallen in love with him, he once again amended. Naruto was at a loss as to where she could go further.

"Maybe she wants to help Neji out with that curse seal? If she becomes Clan Head, and I become Hokage, we could both get rid of that damned thing," he mumbled.

"**Here, here,"** Kyuubi lifted a paw within his cage in salute to Naruto's statement. He and Naruto both rather disliked the idea of being sealed into servitude like that. The Branch members were in a do-or-die situation with anyone who wasn't Hinata, it seemed. At least, Naruto had never had many good experiences with anyone other than her.

Naruto was contemplating his own life from the point of Hinata's unexpected arrival in his home to everything before it. He had only ever lived for himself. All actions he'd taken were for himself or the occasional retribution for a friend who couldn't, or wouldn't, speak up for themselves. His pranking, his clothes, the foods he would eat and the way he spoke to others, all of these were things that he did because he only had ever had to worry about himself or for his own reasons. Realizing this, Naruto understood that some things would have to change. If for no other reason than because he couldn't allow himself to do something to make Hinata ashamed of him. He certainly wasn't going to stop eating ramen, but he would definitely tone it down. This, he had already decided upon when he realized that, if he wanted to be serious with her, he couldn't let her survive only on that. His circumstances had gotten much better since his time spent with Jiraiya during their training, but he still loved it.

Naruto's clothing, he had already changed. He got his usual outfit for the day before, since he didn't want to change too much too fast, but he got plenty of blacks and dark colored clothes. Now his appearance wouldn't be the first thing people noted about him in the 'bad' category. Besides, with missions, dark clothes were always good to have.

His pranks would certainly continue. That was an outlet that those who got it often deserved it. He would just have to be sure not to do anything perverted again. Or at least, overly perverted. His Orioke no jutsu was great to use against the ANBU when he made it up, but he was sure there was something about women in general that was against it's use. Well, except for that one female ANBU that one time. That was an experience he decided to never tell anyone about though. Of course, it could have been the threats she gave him after realizing it was a Henge.

Naruto looked around his apartment, seeing the holes in the walls, ceiling and floor. He had long ago given up on fixing everything when the villagers would break in and destroy it all over again. The difference, however, is that he hadn't noticed anyone having done so in the past few years. But he had given up on it so thoroughly that he never got around to trying.

Finishing his ramen, Naruto threw the bowl away, not wanting to make a mess so soon after having cleaned the place up only a few hours before. It wasn't really a sense of cleanliness, even if he never really was fond of the mess he would leave it in, but it was a part of what he had been realizing that day, along with some of the day before. He had to begin caring what people truly thought of him. And he could start with Hinata and showing enough respect to both himself and her to not make her have to come to see him in a home like that. It was that feeling that found him cleaning from when he woke up until only a few minutes ago.

Naruto had already finished cleaning his bedroom and kitchen and had since decided to begin on the living room. He would have made a few clones to help, but space was rather limited in his home, as were supplies. He also wanted to be able to feel accomplished to having had done it fully on his own. With a heavy sigh, he got back to work, frilly apron and all.

-------------

Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of Konoha was in an incredible mood this morning. Her Otouto had apparently fallen in love with a wonderful woman, who was also probably the only one who could stand to be around him for any length of time as well, and his time with Jiraiya hadn't made him lose respect for the fairer sex. His willingness to wait for when she would be comfortable with what had obviously happened proved that. She knew Jiraiya enough to know that he had taken 'notes' of what had happened. There was obviously no way for him to know anything about Tenshi if he wasn't already there. She also knew she couldn't tip her hand. As angry about it as she was, she would have to play ignorant of such a thing happening until she could catch him. Tsunade was thinking about how she could do just that when a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter!" A Panda-masked ANBU came through the door, her movements a little heavy compared to the usual precision movements they normally portrayed. The change was very slight, but being a highly skilled medic-nin, Tsunade could see the after-affects of a hang-over. Of course, it could also be the affect of being a heavy drinker as well.

"You requested an ANBU, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, but first, is that hangover bad? What I have for you may be a bit more difficult with one." Tsunade barely kept the smirk from her face as the ANBU straightened, obviously seeing her doubt as a challenge.

"No, Hokage-sama. After learning about a bet with Anko-san and Hatake-san, which Hatake-san lost, I celebrated with Anko-san. The affects are nearly gone already." Tsunade could tell they weren't, but the female side of her was more than willing to overshadow the Hokage side where it was concerned. There was juicy information to tell.

"Oh? May I be privy to the details of this bet?" Tsunade was quite pleased with herself as she saw the ANBU chuckle under her cloak.

"To keep it simple, the bet was over the mission their charges were on and finished only a few days ago on the number of days it would take to finish. Hatake-san lost and must now ... pose ... for Jiraiya-s-sama," Tsunade could understand the woman's shudder at Jiraiya's name understanding what Kakashi would have to do, "in the form of a woman at some point today." Panda shivered as a grin spread over her leader's face.

"An unfortunate experience, I am sure, but one that _must_ be recorded," Tsunade hinted with no feeling of remorse.

"It is already taken care of, Hokage-sama. Any ANBU not currently on a mission or hurt will be keeping watch with several recording devices. They have been on him since before he even woke up." This was far more than Tsunade could have hoped for.

"In that case, I have another request I would like of each ANBU. Jiraiya took some ... research notes ... of two people last night. I want those notes found and brought to me so he can be properly punished." All ANBU knew of Tsunade's rage towards the super pervert. None of them would want to stand in her way.

"It will be as you command, Hokage-sama."

"Good. And no one is to look at them, or I will take care of whoever does."

"A-alright, Hokage-sama. However, what did you need of me before this?" That seemed to shock Tsunade before she realized there actually was something else.

"Oh, right. I want you to bring me Uzumaki Naruto and, if you want to see Jiraiya run for his life, him as well. But don't let Jiraiya interfere with your search for Naruto. He's the important one, and he'll be all set to kill Jiraiya later, preferably after you get Kakashi on film." She smiled as she thought of the possibilities.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Will there be anything else?"

"No. It'll probably take an ANBU to bring in Naruto if he is doing something ... else. Don't feel you have to do this alone. You may need more than one." Panda couldn't figure out what Naruto had done, but she also couldn't figure out why Tsunade would be so concerned for the possible need of multiple ANBU to bring him in, but not show any concern for safety. Just doubt that he would come with her.

"Hokage ... sama?" Tsunade waved off the obvious questioning tone the panda-masked ANBU was using.

"That should be it. Don't kill him, but let him know I want to speak with him as soon as possible and escort him here, please." With a tone of finality, she sat down as the ANBU disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

On the way out of the Hokage Tower, the panda-masked ANBU was a little worried about facing the Uzumaki boy. Sure, he had always been hard to catch, even before getting out of the Academy, but he was never difficult enough that multiple ANBU would be be required to bring him in unless it was after a prank and he hadn't pulled one for a while. And she knew better than the majority of the village that the boy wasn't a threat unless someone attacked him or, if they were suicidal, someone he held dear to him. It was with these thoughts that she decided to try the nice approach first.

-------------

Jiraiya was walking through Konoha, trying to figure out a feeling that was gnawing at the back of his mind. He just couldn't figure out what it was. It was similar to a sense that told him he was in danger, but there was no danger. He wasn't at the hot springs yet, so it wasn't naked, rampaging women. No one knew about his notes from last night, so it certainly wasn't that, as there was no killing intent, and he knew there would have been. Whatever it was, would have to wait. For now, he was going to have to think up a better plot than the original, if there were such a thing, for his newest book. Especially after having finished the latest the night before.

_'Pinky, you certainly gave me what I needed for my last scene!'_ A string of perverted giggles issued from the old lecher as he ate his fill from an all-you-can-eat barbecue. This was the same restaurant that he had followed Sakura from the night before. All in hopes of getting ideas for Icha Icha Kitsune. He knew the basic premise of the story, as he planned on basing it off of Naruto and his own life. He just needed to come up with some comparisons. After all, he can't say, 'The Kyuubi was sealed inside of this boy on this date at this location.' That left making up some of his own and altering it to fit his unique style.

Perverted thoughts kept the lecher from noticing the occasional ANBU circling outside like vultures waiting for their prey to finally stop twitching.

-------------

Naruto was repairing a few of the last of the holes on his walls after having fully cleaned the living room. When a knock sounded at his door, he grumbled about people with bad timing as he went to answer it, curious as to who would actually come to see him. He briefly considered Hinata, but he wasn't supposed to meet her until noon.

"Just a moment, I'm coming." Opening the door, he found a panda-faced ANBU in front of him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage-sama has requested your presence as early as your earliest convenience will allow. I am to escort you directly there from here."

"Baa-chan wants to see me? I wonder why," he trailed off. "Well, I can go in a few minutes, if you want to come in and have a seat. I'm repairing some walls and the spackle will dry up if I just leave it here."

"Are you not able to perform the Kage Bunshin technique? You could simply use that." Panda raised a hidden eyebrow as he seemed to think about it rather than just do it. She knew he was able to use it since he'd done so to run from her and her compatriots several times and it was a well-documented fact that he made it a part of his normal fighting style.

"I suppose I can. I didn't want to use them for this, but this will keep everyone happy, and you don't need to waste your time." Impressed that the boy would rather do the work on his own than make it easier with clones, she watched as he performed the jutsu flawlessly. Three clones popped into existence.

"Alright you guys. You know what to do." A chorus of agreements came from them and they got to work. Just before closing the door fully, he yelled in, "And no fighting! I just cleaned this place up!" They yelled back a few obscene phrases at his lack of faith.

The two made good headway to the Hokage Tower in silence. One was wondering why Tsunade wanted to see him, and with ANBU guard to boot, while the other was wondering why Tsunade made such a big deal about the difficulty in getting him to agree to come. When they arrived, Tsunade dismissed Panda and motioned for Naruto to sit in front of the desk, her wide grin a bit disconcerting.

"What's up, Baa-chan? You look way too happy for this early in the morning." Tsunade chuckled darkly as she took her seat.

"Oh, this and that, Naruto." Intertwining her fingers together, she rested her chin on them, a glint in her eye telling him that she had evil plans. She wasn't even yelling at him for his lack of respect towards her age which put him immediately on the defensive.

"Baa-chan?" Tsunade enjoyed watching Naruto shift nervously under her gaze. It was a fond sense of achievement that she held against him. That, and it was just simply fun to see him squirm. She couldn't figure out why she hadn't tried this tactic in the past.

"Naruto, it has come to my attention that you and Hyuuga Hinata became a couple." She was expecting nervous laughter or maybe even guilt for having feelings such as he was. Instead, she got narrowed eyes and a guarded expression.

"Is this why you felt I needed an ANBU escort to your office?" His voice came out neutral and with only a slight hint of accusation. Tsunade hadn't even done anything and she was feeling both guilty for whatever he would accuse her of and on guard for the same reason. The tiniest bit of controlled killer intent didn't help the situation, either.

"No, I just wanted you here as soon as possible. There is a lot to talk about because of this."

"And what is there to talk about that I needed to come here 'at my earliest convenience' via ANBU messenger?" She couldn't shake the feeling she was on dangerous ground.

"Naruto, I don't mind that you're dating her. I'm happy for you. But because of what I've heard, I just want to talk to you about a few things that are long over due." At his confused expression, she began to feel slightly better that the killer intent was now gone.

"What do you mean?" Naruto watched as Tsunade sighed deeply and pulled out a scroll, setting it on top of the desk as she spoke. He had begun to think she was going to say something about his dating Hinata and how they wouldn't be allowed to because of the Kyuubi, but this was going in a completely different direction.

"Let me start at the beginning, alright?"

"Okay."

"Well, to start out with, let me ask you a question. Imagine for a moment, that you were Hokage," Tsunade ignored his rather greedy and eager expression, "and a demon like the Kyuubi were attacking."

Naruto got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as she began. It wasn't as much as what she was saying, as it was the feeling of unrest from Kyuubi. Apprehension, fear and regret were coming from the demon within him in waves.

"Now, you know how to do the sealing jutsu just like the Yondaime did, and needed a newborn baby to seal it in. You had these options available to you: Take an unborn child from a mother's womb prematurely, using a baby who was just born prematurely due to the stress the mother was under or try to think of another option, which would mean countless deaths and possible failure anyway." Naruto could already tell where this was going. He may have been a few seals short of a jutsu, but he was far from an idiot. Then, it could have been Tsunade's tact at asking the question.

"I would probably have done just what my father did. Use my own son, since I can't ask my village to do something that even I wouldn't be willing to do." Tsunade's eyes widened as shock came from Kyuubi.

"How-"

"Did I know?" Naruto rolled his eyes as if it were obvious. "How many blondes do you see running around Konoha? Then take into account that I am repeatedly called 'The Yondaime's Legacy' and look a good deal like him, especially after Fuzzy made me a little taller and lengthened my hair a bit and such during the switch." He smiled genially at her.

"I do have a mirror and am not as dense as people believe." Tsunade had the grace to look ashamed.

"I suppose not. Then you're right. He is your father. I suppose you could also understand why you weren't told?" He took just a few moments to think about it before actually responding.

"As a kid, I couldn't hold my own against the Yondaime's enemies if they found out and knowing would have made no difference in anything in the long run."

"**Don't forget you had a tendency to run your mouth. You never did shut up,"** Kyuubi grumbled.

_'Hey!'_

"Right in one," Tsunade sighed again. "He had a lot of powerful enemies. Still does, actually. And we couldn't let them have any chance of knowing until you were ready."

"I can understand that. But why tell me this now? After I began to date Hinata?" Naruto couldn't exactly find any relation to his current situation to who his father was, unless maybe there was some kind of prearranged marriage contract. With that thought, his eyes widened and he audibly gulped.

"Well," Tsunade began. She wasn't sure how to approach this particular subject. Sighing once again, she decided blunt, to the point and no names, currently, would suffice.

"Well, with the two of you dating and having a physical relationship, I doubt Hiashi would be willing to allow his daughter to marry anyone else." Tsunade was shocked as a wave of killer intent hit her and Naruto's eyes turned red.

"If Ino and Sakura told anyone else, so help me, I will **KILL THEM!**" The last two words came out in a very deep and nearly growling voice dripping with demonic influence. As Naruto began to get up, Tsunade realized that he was about to go and question at least one of the two girls. Probably painfully.

"Naruto! They didn't say anything!" She flinched as he turned towards her quickly.

"Then how did you find out?"

"Only one person found out because they overheard you talking while you were taking Hinata home from your date last night! I've taken care of them and you don't have to worry about anyone else finding out for now. Sit back down." She motioned towards the chair again, which he reluctantly accepted.

"Sorry, Baa-chan. But I won't let anyone risk anything that'll hurt her until we've made sure the Elders can't do anything about it."

"That makes sense. Now, why did you think Ino and Sakura told me?" Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at his suddenly nervous expression and movements.

"Er, they, kind of watched Hinata-chan and I, the first night. We didn't find out about it until yesterday though." Tsunade could already tell she would need to have a talk with her apprentice. It was already scheduled, but with Naruto's reaction, she wanted to be sure Sakura knew what could happen if she slipped up.

"Well, she hasn't said anything about it to me, though I haven't seen her since your report. Now for why I brought you here."

"Alright." Naruto sat back in his seat heavily as Tsunade began speaking.

"Well, as I said, with your relationship standing as far as it is with Hyuuga Hinata, I doubt Hiashi will allow her to marry anyone else as he would be forced into explaining why she is no longer a virgin." She still couldn't help but smile at the blush that adorned his face.

"Now, this shouldn't pose a problem, except that I feel you should learn more about your heritage, meaning your father, and what he had left for you."

"What do you mean?" Naruto was hoping beyond hope for a jutsu library the size of the Hokage Tower.

"Your father was the last of his line. His family was once a decent size. Nothing like the Hyuuga or Uchiha, but several families made it up. The last hundred years or so, however, they had been killed off, or died of natural causes. Because of this, you have his clan house, his assets, such as they are, and anything that was his that is left." Tsunade wasn't surprised to see a sad scowl on his face. It was just confirmed that he had no blood family and that the man who put the Kyuubi into him was his very own father.

"So, what does this actually mean? And why now?"

"This means you will be moved from your apartment and into the Kazama clan house. You will take over title to his finances and this scroll he left for you. Its a blood seal, so only you can open it, believe me. The Third wrote in personal journals and he mentioned wanting to several times, knowing he never could. One of those forbidden fruit type things."

"Uh..." Naruto had no clue what she was talking about. What fruit?

"Anyway, you weren't supposed to be told about these things until you became Jounin, or turned eighteen in the chance you didn't become a ninja."

"Er-"

"Oh, and I want you ready to move in two hours." Tsunade was furiously trying to think about what else she could say to keep him confused, but sadly, the only thing was what she didn't want to tell him yet, about Jiraiya. Therefore, she was forced to give him a moment to think about what she had said, which appeared to have been a mistake.

"Well, I can't move in two hours, at least not yet. I-"

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm meeting Hinata in just over one hour for lunch at Ichiraku's." Tsunade saw an opportunity in this.

"Well, that's fine. I'll go to lunch with you, as I haven't had ramen in a while anyway, and then show you both there afterwards. In the meantime, you can send a few clones to pack for you while you read the scroll. The house has furniture, so just pack clothes and personal items along with whatever you want to keep. For now, take the time to read over the letter your father left to you. I'm going to go down and see if I can find the keys to your house in the vault. You can use the office while I'm gone." Naruto nodded his assent and bit waited for her to leave the room, the door shutting with a soft click. He looked at the scroll for only a few moments before biting his thumb and rubbed it over the seal, letting his blood touch it. The seal glowed for a moment before releasing, popping the scroll open.

_Son, Naruto,_

_By the time you read this, I will expect that you know about the Kyuubi. If not, I would like to explain what happened and my reasoning behind it. You see, my name is Kazama Arashi, the Yondaime Hokage of the great village of Konoha. As the Hokage, it is my duty to protect my village. When the Kyuubi was sighted and found to be on it's way to Konoha, I began trying to figure out way s to defeat it. I knew that, no matter how many ninja Konoha had and how many great jutsu we, as a village, knew, we couldn't defeat it as we would any other force. Eventually, when the Kyuubi was about a day away from us, I developed a jutsu that would allow me to seal the demon into a vessel. The problem, however, was that I couldn't use any simple and inanimate object, or even an animal, as their chakra pathways would never be developed enough to contain it, nor would their strength of will be strong enough to fight against it. The only thing that would be strong enough, would be a human vessel, and it would have to be a newborn, as their chakra circulatory system would grow along with the strain of containing it. Anything else and the Kyuubi would be able to fight against it. I couldn't ask one of the villagers to make a sacrifice I wouldn't be able to make, could I? I had to prove that I was worthy of the title of Hokage by proving I had the faith in my son to beat the bastard fox into submission. That was why I chose to use you as the vessel of the Kyuubi, son. And to be honest, there weren't any other children that were born, though a few could have been pulled from their mother's womb prematurely, but that wouldn't be right to ask that of them. Not as the Hokage. For this, I am sorry, and I would ask forgiveness, but don't feel it is my place to. I can only say that I did what I believed right. If you can't forgive me for that, then I can understand. I know life couldn't have been easy for you, but I have faith in your strength. I couldn't have done this without it._

_I would also like to tell you about your mother, but decided to leave you a seperate note, sealed at the bottom of this one, with more information about her, along with a photo album. I will go ahead and tell you now, Naruto, that she passed away due to blood loss after giving birth to you. I am so sorry. She was a wonderful woman who had as odd an obsession with fishcakes, which she was adamant about naming you after, as I had with ramen. _

_Now that I've given you my reasons, I'll get on to other things. Firstly, your inheritance. As the last of the Kazama line, you'll get the clan house. This was built at the time of Konoha's founding since we were a part of the founding clans. There is the main manor, which was used to hold the primary family and each side's immediate family. It also has eight smaller houses for what were deemed as the branch members of our clan. The only difference between us, the Main members and the Branch was that the Branch members weren't the successors of our clan. Each house is connected with underground tunnels so we didn't have to go outside during poor weather and used as escape routes. We had a tendency to document every jutsu we came across, regardless of how trivial or simple. We loved to tinker with them. Our library is hidden underground as well. You'll also find a dojo, temple, training ground and such. Also, now don't laugh, I have a personal store of my favorite ramen sealed in the back of the kitchen pantry. It'll last for a long time, but I would like you to do something with it. Few people tend to like it as much as I do. I swear I had to have kept this place called Ichiraku's in business... Anyway._

_As for monetary gains, our family invested in companies here in Konoha and several others within Fire Country. At this time of my writing this, we were a relatively wealthy family, especially with so few of us left. Since I can't give you anything resembling an accurate idea of your holdings, ask the old man wearing the funny hat, er, Sandaime, if he is still there and you haven't kicked him out of his chair, for an up-to-date statement from the bank. Unless my sealing plot fails, you should have a decent sum._

_Now, there are three jutsu that you will not find in our home. Two were my prized techniques, the Rasengan and the Hiraishin no Jutsu. The first is an A-Class attack jutsu that is quite powerful, though I haven't fully developed it into what I wanted at this point. If you learn it, and happen to have a wind affinity like myself, see about mixing them. It should prove to become massively more powerful. The second one is what got me the nickname 'Konoha's Yellow Flash' and will make you feared amongst your enemies, just as it did mine. If you learn this early, you could use a Henge of myself when using it to scare several of my enemies. I'm proud to say that, under my name in the Bingo book, most villages have a recommendation of running as soon as they see me. The third is one that I began working on after creating the Hiraishin no Jutsu. It is basically the same thing, but is designed to be used without the three-pronged kunai that the Hiraishin requires, and allows them to, instead, be used as homing beacons. A little chakra in them, and you can teleport directly to them as needed. The only thing is, it requires a decent amount of chakra because the seal still isn't formed properly. Feel free to tinker with it, but only after learning about seals or with Jiraiya's help. He's a white-haired perverted lecher who is also one of the legendary three Sannin. A good guy, but don't let him near your girlfriend, fiancé or wife. He has a tendency to leer._

_Now, these jutsu are on a few sealed scrolls that are at the bottom of this letter, along with a few others I think you should learn as early as possible. The first of which is the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. If you're anything like me, you won't be able to create a simple Bunshin due to too much chakra, and having the Kyuubi sealed in you won't make that much easier. The Kage Bunshin has a wonderful side-effect of letting you train and acquire the experience from each one of them, letting you learn far faster. Train well in them. There are also a few other scrolls that I've gathered since I haven't got much time left. Since I've developed the sealing jutsu, there isn't much else but waiting and attempting to find something else to use._

_I have so much I want to tell you, but I haven't got the time, I'm sorry. I can only give you the advice that I live by, and die by. Protect those who are precious to you, because that is the whole reason of living. If you are alone in the world, can you truly be happy? Find love and protect it, Naruto._

_Your father,_

_Kazama Arashi, Yondaime Hokage_

Naruto was tempted to begin looking through the scrolls that were sealed at the bottom of his letter. Looking over them, he saw one that was labeled as 'Jutsu', one as 'Your Mother' and one as 'Photo Album'. It was thinking over the letters where he decided that he would want plenty of time to read them and Tsunade would be back soon.

He could understand what his father had done. He wouldn't be happy about the decision, but if able, he would have been willing to make it just as had been done. Forgiveness was something he had a lot of practice at, and forgiving his father for what he had almost no choice in was an easy choice to make, especially when being bribed with promises of kick-ass jutsu's at the bottom of the scroll. He rolled the scroll back up and sealed it, waiting for Tsunade's return while thinking about what this would all mean. He now had a past. He now had some form of guide from at least one parent, though it was the same advice with which he lived his entire life by.

-------------

Tsunade and Naruto walked in a contemplative silence towards Ichiraku's, only coming out of it after Naruto noticed his blue-haired angel sitting next to his favourite stool.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Naruto ran up to her and gave her a huge bear-hug. The letter from his father had made him wonder about having his own family, and the best part of that family was squeaking in his arms due to lack of air.

_'Wait, squeaking? Oops!'_ He quickly let go of Hinata and gave the flustered girl a kiss on the tip of her nose. Hinata shook her head slightly and giggled at the reception.

"Hello to you, too, Naruto-kun." She leaned in and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him in for a fierce kiss on the lips, only to jump back with a blush when someone cleared their throat, rather loudly.

"Well, its good to see you two being so happy, but could you wait until later, after you see your new home?" Tsunade's grin made a slight shiver run up the two teens' spines, but they agreed, though Hinata was curious to hear about the new house, even if Tsunade _did_ make it sound as though it would be bother her's and Naruto's.

"Hey, Old Man! Four bowls of teriyaki, two pork and five miso for me! What about you two?"

"One pork, please," Hinata stated, which Tsunade mimicked.

"So, Naruto-kun, what is this about your new house?" Naruto flashed Hinata his patented foxy smile and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Well, apparently my father is the Yondaime, he left me the Kazama clan house, a scroll that has a bunch of jutsu in it, whatever he had in finances and a little bit about my mother." At this, he pulled out the scroll and offered a little blood to open it for her to read. Once she was done, she smiled brightly at him.

"This is great! That you're the son of the Yondaime will help sway the Hyuuga Elders. Also, if you have more than just a little money, that will help if they bring up being able to raise a family financially. And already having your own house, a clan house no less, will help as well!" Hinata was ecstatic at this turn of events. There were now only two, possibly three faults the Elders could use: His lineage, which would be negated by the fact that he is the Yondaime's son, though they could fight he isn't of 'noble' standing; the Kyuubi, which had already been explained as to how that could help; and possibly his finances, which may or may not even be a problem.

"Will my being the Yondaime's son hold much influence when we consider they may still not be happy about Fuzzy?" Naruto still wasn't sure what could be used against him, but the Kyuubi would always be a tick on the downside of things for him.

"Well, they can't really say much about Fuzzy. They already know you to be two seperate beings, and they know, or at least I told them, about how having Fuzzy's influence in the Hyuuga line could potentially influence the development of the Byakugan to higher levels than it is now."

_**'Heh, you don't know the half of it, Kitten.'**_ The Kyuubi already had plans for any of Naruto's children. The presence of any current doujutsu or bloodline would only be a perk.

"Oh." Naruto certainly wasn't dumb, and knew exactly what they would have to do to change the Byakugan: they would have children. "Well, are we going to do this even without their permission?" Hinata simply looked at him as though he said the whole sentence backwards.

"Of course," she said before looking a little hesitant, "that is, unless you don't want to..." This time, Naruto looked at her as though insane.

"I don't care if I have to kill every single Hyuuga that opposes this, if you want something, I'll do whatever is needed to give it to you, even this." Even with his eyes as their usual, gentle blue and his carefree smile, Hinata knew he was being entirely serious. Tsunade simply shivered, knowing he was entirely capable of it.

"Well, I would rather you _not_ kill off one of Konoha's primary clans, but I can certainly pull my own strings to help the two of you out a bit. Especially if it means keeping you from being labeled as an enemy of the state for killing off a bunch of Konoha citizens, regardless as to your reason." Tsunade didn't want to be so blunt, but quite frankly, if he was planning on killing anyone opposed to their relationship, she wanted to make sure he was aware that he would become a fugitive.

"Its not like I want to, but Hinata's going to get whatever she wants, and if it is this, then its this." Naruto shrugged as he took a bite of his ramen while Hinata smiled brightly at him, even if a little worried about him following through with his threats, it was very sweet. "And besides, it isn't like there is anyone in this village who could stop me if I let loose." He didn't have to say what he was thinking. All three of them were well aware of it. The Kyuubi was completely for Naruto and Hinata's relationship, and would be willing to help Naruto to his fullest ability. Especially against villagers that hurt his container, and therefor, himself, over the years.

"Well," Tsunade said, "enough of this enjoyable conversation, let's go see your new home."

"Alright, but could we also find out how much money Naruto received from his father? That information would come in very helpful if needed against the Elders." Tsunade simply nodded her head in acquiescence to Hinata's question.

"That shouldn't pose any problems. I will have to find the financial report, but I can assure you that money won't be a problem. The Kazama clan was moderately wealthy in their prime, and had a tendency to make sound financial investments that have only grown. The fact that the numbers of the clan slowly lowered and the monetary gains were still there, and add several years' worth of inactivity, Naruto is easily going to have plenty of money to support the both of you and probably thirty kids if it came down to it." She shamelessly watched as the two teens blushed furiously at the rather large number she had implied. Of course, she wouldn't have minded having that many nieces and nephews, but no woman was up to that. And a girl Hinata's size most certainly wouldn't make such a goal viable, even if they both secretly planned to try for just that.

"That's good. Then the Hyuuga Elders can't say jack about that, right?" Naruto looked towards Hinata to see her nod in affirmation.

"Most likely not, but they could say that it would be best to offer me as a political marriage," Hinata responded. She ignored Naruto's aura of killer intent by putting her hand in his, making him forget that topic. "I can get out of that by saying that I would kill any husband they attempted to put me with if I was against the marriage, and that I could simply leave the Hyuuga if needed."

"You'd leave your family?" Family was something Naruto had always wanted, and couldn't think that someone would give up such a large family for only him. As Hinata smiled warmly at him, he felt himself get lost in his own torrent of emotions for her.

"My father isn't so bad anymore, and many of the Branch family members like me, I believe, but a life with them, and not you, would not be a life worth living. So yes, I would gladly leave them. We would have a place to stay, money to survive on, skills to defend ourselves and 'Fuzzy'." Tsunade listened to the two talk, not wanting to interrupt unless she felt it was needed. But listening to the two talk nearly made her cry in happiness that Naruto had found such an incredible woman for himself. And that Hinata had found Naruto.

"Well, if 'Fuzzy' or Tenshi are able to change the Byakugan, don't you think that they will want the bloodline to stay in the Hyuuga clan?" That, Tsunade decided, was her queue.

"Actually, it would depend on the circumstances." She continued to explain after getting their attention. "You see, if you were marrying into the Hyuuga clan, then yes, any children would fall under Hyuuga domain. However, I believe Hiashi-san," she decided to go with honorifics since Hinata was there, "is for this arrangement, and you could probably talk him into letting you form your own clan. You see, Naruto, the Kazama clan was a founding clan, much like the Hyuuga. That means that they are a clan of 'nobility', so to speak, even without any real ruling blood in Konoha, unless you count Hokage lineage. That would only leave myself, Konohamaru, Asuma and you, Naruto. So I doubt we have to worry much about that. I will help you if you need it when the time comes. Hiashi-san has an appointment scheduled for me in about an hour anyway."

"Thanks, Baa-chan."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Tsunade waved off their thanks as they turned onto a shaded roadway. This particular path leading to the gated areas behind the Hokage monument. Each person walked while contemplating their own thoughts about the things to come until they came to a gate hidden away in the overgrowth of trees.

"This property is adjacent to the Aburame properties. The grounds being as large as they are, the Aburame have had a long-standing agreement with the Sandaime and myself to take care of the grounds in exchange for more area to house their colonies. It had actually started with Arashi's suggestion since he was a lazy bum when it came to grounds keeping," Tsunade snorted. "They were actually very agreeable as their own grounds were, though sufficient, much smaller than their allies would be happy with." Tsunade had become so used to used the Aburame's preferred term for their Kikaichu bugs that she never even noticed when she used it at this point, though she was still a little squeamish when she had to see them go back into their hosts. "I would ask that you leave that agreement in place, but it is, of course, up to you." Tsunade nicked his fingertip to get at some of his blood and swiped it across a small seal on the gate, about the size of her palm, causing it to glow crimson, then blue and finally white, before the gate hummed with energy and then stopped.

-------------

"Alright, Kakashi. You know what to do." Anko and her new friend the Panda-masked ANBU were standing outside the hot springs, about forty yards from their giggling target. Kakashi sighed and pocketed his little orange book, looked forlornly into the distance. He knew this was coming and was just as upset about it as the she-demons in front of him were happy about it.

"You're sure you don't want to stop this now?" Kakashi looked directly at Anko's smiling visage, her excited mind taking his question as a last ditch effort, and a very poor one, to get out of it.

"No way, Kakashi! This is your side of the bargain, so get to it!" Kakashi put his hands into his pockets and looked down dejectedly as he shuffled his way over to the old man behind a small peephole where he was busy watching the lovely ladies inside in various states of undress. Kakashi was only a few feet from Anko and Panda when he turned back to them and made a 'wait' command using his ANBU hand sign knowledge and then walked a small distance to the side of the old lecher and made a kage bunshin.

"What the hell is he doing?" Anko knew that the creator of a kage bunshin got all of the clone's memories, and when it came to actually performing the deed itself, it wouldn't matter if it was the original or a clone, it still happened.

"Perhaps he's going to hold to his side a bit better than we expected?" Panda and Anko looked at each other, worry settling in both of their stomachs. They watched as both Kakashi's walked over towards the pervert and stopped several feet away before creating a henge on each of themselves.

-------------

Jiraiya was beyond a happy man right now. On the other side of his peeping hole were several highly attractive women who were amongst friends, and decided that they'd had enough time to not only bathe, but splash each other back and forth. He'd been watching them for nearly a half hour before they had begun to get tired and rested on each other, breathing heavily. He giggled as he wrote more of his notes.

Halfway through his next description and drawing, however, he felt a sudden shift of chakra behind him. Somewhat worried, he turned his head slowly to the side, only for his eyes to widen in surprise and happiness as he watched Hatake Kakashi shove Mitarashi Anko up against a wall, kissing her, biting her and fondling her. Jiraiya's lower jaw suddenly began lowering itself as his eyes widened. Drool hung from his chin as his hair stood up and his face began to redden. Quickly, the pervert turned around so that he was still crouched behind the bushes and furiously began scribbling away, his pen moving so quickly, that his notebook was a blur of pages and a light plume of smoke rose form the pen's tip. When Anko breathed in with a high-pitched moan, the old man shivered and his pen stopped moving for a brief moment as a lecherous grin spread over his face before hunching down and scribbling away again.

Unseen to the pervert, the real Anko was fighting tooth, nail and several summons' fangs to get out of Panda's grip and emasculate the cycloptic Jounin who thought to use her image to gain a higher reputation from the perverted writer.

Above the homicidal women and the amorous 'couple' below, several ANBU barely managed to keep a hold of their recording equipment when they saw Kakashi's plan. They had to admit, it was genius. Suicidal and most certainly asking for a painful end, but genius all the same. None of them would have expected the Jounin to use on of his own student's personal jutsu in such a manner, though several of them were silently thankful. Very silently thankful.

The lecher was on his third notebook of 'inspiration'. After Pinky and Naruto's activities, he was making damn sure he wouldn't be caught without plenty of writing space. He'd missed a lot of things in his apprentice's midnight rendezvous and he didn't want that again.

By now, Kakashi had worked off Anko's trench coat and was nibbling his way down her neck and shoulder as his hands worked her breasts. Just as Kakashi was lifting the shirt up, a furious roar scared Jiraiya into trying to escape by running to the opposite direction, which was face-first into the wooden fence of the bath houses. He fell onto his bum and looked around frantically for whatever women had found him peeping when he saw a second Anko, her face set in righteous fury run directly at Kakashi and the Anko on the ground. He idly noted that a Panda-faced ANBU was rolling from the side alley being completely surrounded by a python that was bigger around than she was and far longer.

Anko was about halfway to the pair that were against the wall before a second furious roar caused the running Anko to stop. All people watching and several of the ANBU panned their cameras to a pink streak of furious woman who ran even faster than the snake-wielding Jounin and gave an ungodly bitch-slap to the completely confused Kakashi, knocking him into the wall next to the Anko clone, forcing her to dispel.

"PERVERT! DID YOU THINK LEE-KUN AND I WOULDN'T CATCH YOU EVENTUALLY!" Kakashi climbed out of the wall, albeit a bit shakily, before turning a wide-eyed stare towards Sakura.

"Sakura, what the hell are you talking about?" Kakashi watched as the girl snorted in disgust before fixing him with a death glare while a far different version of Lee stepped up beside her. He was dressed like a normal person, though in some rather stylish clothes, and still with the frightening Gai-like eyebrows.

"Last night, you pervert, when you spied on me and Lee-kun having s- uh..." Suddenly, rather shy, she looked around and noticed Anko. Kakashi, able to easily figure out where her rant had been going, decided to head her off.

"Sakura, last night I was with her," he indicated a wide-eyed and nodding Anko, "and her bound-up ANBU friend over there at the bar. Now, if you and Lee were... having relations... last night and someone was spying on you, they probably used a Henge to look like me to throw you off." Sakura looked confused as hell.

"But, who would do such a-" she cut off as she watched Kakashi and Anko look over towards the bath houses where a white-haired pervert was slowing trying to slink away without being seen. With a primal roar, Sakura unleashed her fury on her new target.

Jiraiya tried to bolt as soon as he heard the conversation getting to uncomfortable territory, but knew he was screwed when he heard the rage behind him. Trying to run, however, didn't work when a boy that was faster than he looked, far faster, grabbed him by the arms and turned him to what appeared to be a pink-haired version of Tsunade, with the same version of painful super strength. He was able to let out a single whimper before the punch launched him over the fence and into the bath houses, where there were even more angry women yelling about perverts and one very high-pitched scream that didn't seem to want to stop.

Anko shook her head to stop thinking about the beating the man was sure to be receiving before remembering she was about to administer her own to Kakashi before the sudden appearance of the Pink-haired Fury. Looking around, she saw that Kakashi himself had made good his escape.

"KAKASHI! YOU BASTARD! GET BACK HERE AND DIE LIKE A MAN!" She summoned a few snakes to hunt the man down. It was only a few moments before one of them said they'd found scent of his fear and Anko was off with a grin and a kunai in each hand and one between her teeth, completely forgetting about the snake summon around her new friend... who was beginning to turn a little blue...

-------------

Thus far, Naruto was amazed with the grounds his family held. The buildings were each relatively large and quite spacious. Things were what he would consider 'classy' without being pompous, which he wasn't exactly sure he understood what made him think as much. His favorite aspect of each of the homes, however, was the numerous pictures of past family members. He was a bit saddened to think that each image was basically a picture of someone who's long-since passed, but couldn't help being happy to see what the closest thing to his family he could get his hands on held. Each picture, each person, everyone was smiling and happy.

But then he found the library filled to the brim with jutsu scrolls, and was suddenly beginning to think he had a different happy place- correction, favorite aspect of his ancestral home. Even the large room, stuffed full of ramen hadn't made him quite as happy.

The grounds themselves were actually quite vast and the number of trees lining the property kept most of the village's bustle from reaching them, keeping it calm and serene. About two hundred yards behind the last of the residential buildings was a large training ground with bits of each element for training of any sort and several weapon racks, though all were empty.

Naruto was loading his arms with scrolls of every type when Hinata found him. She smiled and came up to him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing gently.

"Your home is beautiful, Naruto-kun." Naruto set the scrolls back onto the shelves before turning to her and wrapping her up in his arms and hugging her body to his.

"Yea, it is. But its _our_ home, now. Or at least, it will be. I just need to think up some way into tricking you into marrying me, and then we'll be all set." He smiled as Hinata giggled.

"However do you plan to trick such a brilliant mind?" Hinata was impressed with herself as she played to Naruto's game. It was getting easier and easier to speak her mind with him, though his kisses may have had something to do with that. She lost her train of thought when Naruto began to nip at her neck.

"I'll probably," he nibbled her collarbone, "try and make you," he licked the skin he'd just bitten, "addicted to me licking," he trailed his fingers up her back as he started to nibble her earlobe, "your -"

"A-_hem_!" Naruto and Hinata both yelped in surprise and shock as they leapt apart from each other and saw a highly amused Tsunade standing at the doorway as if looking around the room and not at the two of them, though her poker face was still horrible if her grin was anything to go by.

"S-sorry, Baa-chan," Naruto could still feel Hinata's warmth in his arms and his adrenaline made him light-headed for a moment while Hinata blushed and smiled, looking for all the world as if she were proud of herself.

"Well, glad to see you two making yourselves right at home!" She smiled impishly at them. "What do you think of it so far? I know you haven't seen most of it, but when you've seen one, they're about all the same." Naruto nodded as he looked around the library.

"Yea, I like it a lot. This will be great for starting a clan and living in." He looked over at Hinata and winked before looking over at Tsunade. "About twenty kids and the perfect place for a Hokage to live in! I like it!" Tsunade humphed and her smile widened.

"Don't you think that twenty kids is a bit much?" Naruto blanked his face at her before responding, trying to look slightly confused.

"I thought you knew?" He mentally gave himself an award for the expression of confusion on her face. "Kitsune, which is what I am, and now Hinata as my mate, have children in litters." Hinata, hearing Naruto's words, even if his wink did signify them to be a joke, blushed and lost control of the grin that split her face. That was the very sight that greeted Tsunade as she looked over to Hinata for confirmation, making her believe it entirely.

"Oh dear sweet Kami no..." Both looked at Tsunade, thinking she was against the two of them having children. "I don't think I could survive two pranksters at once... much less twenty!" Her look of absolute fear drove both into a fit of laughter made them cry.

"Alright you two. I've got some meetings for the day, so you two can continue to look around or do... other.. things, I'll go ahead and get my business done." The two nodded and pretended to begin looking at the scrolls Naruto had earlier until she left the room, then they continued where they left off while she went to meet with her first visitor of the day: Hyuuga Hiashi.

-------------

[Author's Note – As many of you made a comment about, I didn't actually plan on taking it this far beyond Hinata's actions after their return to Konoha. That, unfortunately caused me to find myself unsure of how to continue this along with creating a whole bunch of plot pieces that I want to now continue, but don't want to do as part of THIS story, but my main story (working on it now, and won't post until I have SEVERAL chapters already completed so I don't make you guys wait this long again.) I plan on finishing the bet, Jiraiya's secret comes out (read: notes,) the Hyuuga Elders conflict and such. I plan to try and finish everything in the next chapter (and as it won't be pertinent to the story, I'll gloss over Naruto's training to come to terms with his new strength and such. And if it helps, I'll explain why he was able to use the Kage Bunshin without difficulty and still need to train in the next chapter as part of the glossing over thing.)

If anyone wants to use anything from this story in their own, feel free. I only ask that, if you use the concept of the change in Hinata's mind, or something of that nature, send me a PM so I can read your story. I like the concept and am actually currently using Tenshi in another story I am writing, though I won't actually post that until I am SEVERAL chapters into it. I won't post until I have thirty/forty or so written, if not more, depending on how far I want to take it, especially when they average 10K words, much like this story.

If anyone is curious about my challenges, check my forum on my profile – I'm considering doing two of them (which I won't post until are done so you guys don't have to do this waiting crap again.) I'm doing numbers one and three for my next one-shot ideas (my version of the one-shot, like this, just not nearly as long to complete, I hope.)

-------------


End file.
